Sounding in the Dark
by A True Radical Dreamer
Summary: AU. At an early age, Naruto is drawn into Orochimaru's circle of friends. What this denotes sends ripples through the Fire Country and the world at large. Naruto/Tayuya, Abandoned.
1. Silver Haired Devil

Hello there! My piece about this work is at the end of the first chapter, so read about what I have to say there after you've read the chapter. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto. If I did, Kabuto would get a bigger part.**

_Thoughts_

Jinchuuriki: 'Demon vessel'  
hitai-ate: 'Forehead protector'

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**Chapter 1: A Silver-Haired Devil**

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"N-no...stay away!" A blonde boy was running down a back ally of Konoha. He was bleeding, tired, scared, and confused. It was like this every year, on the anniversary of the day the Fourth killed the Nine Tails the villagers would get especially hateful of him. He thought that after a year at the Ninja Academy things would be different, he thought that the people would start to hate him less if he became a Shinobi...he was wrong. It was like every year, only now when he had dared to show his face, a mob had formed around the frightened seven-year-old. They had chased him for several blocks already before cornering him. He had seen several Chuunin ninja's, but they had done nothing to help him.

As the mob closed in, they started to yell vicious curses at him, things like: "You killed the Fourth, you demon!" "How dare you show your face on this day!" "The Third should have killed you already, we've got to do it before he kills us all!" The boy was scared of their anger, he had never seen it like this before. When one man ran out of the crowd, Naruto cringed. The kick had caught him in the chest and sent him flying into the back wall of the ally. It was harder to breath now and blood was dripping from is lips, he tried to move, but a sharp pain in his ribs kept him down. He could only look on in horror as the mob started to move on him, emboldened by their 'leaders' actions...

"Well, another year, another exam." Said a silver-haired teenager as he walked the streets of Konoha. It had been less than two weeks since he failed another Chuunin exam, and it was getting harder to get team mates to take it with him. _'It's this village, they are all cowards...I hope my information is being helpful to 'him'...'_

He heard a loud crash and whipped around, old ninja habits kicking in. He peered into an ally across the street form him, there was a crowd of people blocking the way so he couldn't see what was going on, but he heard muffled cries coming from in front of the mob. _'Hn, not my problem.' _

He started to walk off when he felt a wave of killing intent flush over the area. Not enough to alert any ANBU that weren't already around, but enough to make a talented ninja like Yakushi Kabuto take a step back. The mob seemed to notice it as well and several of them ran off screaming about a 'demon'.

_'Oh, so that's it. This is the day the Fourth died to 'kill the demon', they must be taking it out on the Jinchuuriki and now it's biting back_. _Damn fools, if they really thought the Kyuubi no Kitsune was in control, why would they be so stupid as to attack him in the first place? What else would they expect from a demon other to kill them if it was attacked? Oh well, this could prove useful .' _He headed up onto a nearby rooftop to get a good view of the coming carnage.

He fully expected the Jinchuuriki to simply snap and kill them all in a few moments and was going to be sure he didn't miss it. _Orochimaru-sama will be pleased to have information on the Kyuubi's vessel, especially in regards to combat ability. _

Kabuto winced as he watched the boy take hit after hit from the people who did not run in fear from the initial wave of power. He noted that it had since disappeared completely from his senses. The boy was in bad shape, he had at least two broken ribs, a fractured arm, a broken nose, and his eye was black. _What is he doing? He should at least be fighting back even if he can't fully use the demon's chakra. _Kabuto's eyes narrowed when he saw one man pull out a knife, he summoned his charka scalpels and leapt down from his rooftop perch, a perfect landing between the young blonde and the mob.

"W-who are you?" The man with the knife said. He saw the Leaf hitai-ate the boy was wearing, no way he wanted to mess with a trained ninja. Kabuto pushed his round glasses further up his face before turning to look at the boy. He was alive, but barely. The blonde's blue eyes met Kabuto's and he saw the confusion and desperation written on the young boys face. He smiled weakly before turning back to the mob.

"I am Yakushi Kabuto, a ninja of this village. I order you to disperse before I have to enlist the aid of the ANBU to solve this...mob violence." His empty threat had the desired effect as he watched the people mutter angrily but move on. Once he was sure they were gone, he looked the boy over.

"Hey, can you still hear me?" He felt the boys' neck for a pulse. It was weak, but it present. He watched in awe as the lighter wounds healed up on the boy, but the larger ones were a problem. _'So, this is also a power of the Jinchuuriki...he could prove very useful...' _Kabuto started making hand seals for a healing jutsu. He put his glowing hands on the chest of the blonde to mend the broken rips. After the boys' breathing become more stable, he started on his arm. Several minutes later, the blonde was sitting upright as Kabuto finally fixed the last thing wrong with the boy. Kabuto slumped back on the ground winded. It took a lot out of him to use a healing jutsu on so many injuries. The boy looked away for a few moments before turning sad eyes towards the spy.

"Uh, thanks for helping me." He said in a quiet voice. "I mean, if you hadn't have been here, I would have..." He stopped as Kabuto held up his hand and waved the boys thanks off.

"No need to thank me, it's my job. Now, what were those people doing chasing you like that?" Of course Kabuto knew why they were chasing him, but he wanted the boy to trust him so he could initiate the next part of his plan.

When the blonde became depressed, Kabuto decided it would be best to try and take his mind off of it so he would open up by himself. "Well, after all that running you must be hungry, how about I buy you lunch? Oh, I'm Kabuto by the way." He smirked when the blonde boy jumped at the chance of a free meal.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto." The boy replied, "And yeah, let's go get some ramen!." The boy said enthusiastically as he dragged the silver haired Genin after him. _'Ha, this is all to easy.'_

The place the boy had wanted to go was too open for what Kabuto had to discuss, so he chose a more private shop with booths. The owners gave Naruto a hard look before the silver haired Genin stepped in and ordered them to take them to a seat; it was good to be a ninja.

"So, Naruto, how are things in school? I remember when I was there and it hadn't been easy." Kabuto asked between slurps of ramen. The boy was putting it away faster than Kabuto could count the bowls and briefly wondered if the boy was using some sort of ramen-eating jutsu.

"Ha, like school is helping me any. Sakura-chan won't even talk to me without calling me names and no one takes me seriously, it's all about Sasuke-teme." Naruto said, scowling.

_'Ah, the Uchiha survivor...Orochimaru-sama has been interested about him from the reports I've sent...maybe I can use this little rivalry to my advantage...' _"Hmm, so the teachers are ignoring you, then?" Naruto stopped eating and sank in his seat.

"Yeah, just like the people in town. None of them care about me, but this is the first time I've ever been attacked this bad before...and on my birthday too..." He said as he poked his bowl with a pair of chopsticks. Kabuto smiled inwardly, this was going perfectly.

"Oh? Your birthday, eh? Maybe I should get you something..." He pretended to look up at the ceiling as if he was thinking. He noted the expectant, if not jovial, expression on the boys face and decided he'd move in for the kill. "Well...I could tell you that...but no, you wouldn't want to do that." He said as he shook his head. Naruto looked like he was about to jump out of his seat.

"Hey! I'll take it! Whatever it is, I'll take it." Kabuto's eyes twinkled. _'All too easy.'_

"Well, I could tell you about a place where you could get actual ninja training without having to bother with teachers who would ignore you. It would require you to leave Konoha though, most likely you'd never see this town again..." Naruto was shocked. Become an actual ninja with teachers that would help? A dream come true!

_'But...what about my friends..._' He thought back to the few happy moments he had with the other kids in the Academy. The few times he would see Sakura smile at him, or Sasuke laugh at a joke were too scarce and far-between. Most of the time it was_ 'Naruto-baka, stop messing with Sasuke-kun!'_ or _'You'll never catch up to me, dobe.'_ His mind was made up then and there.

"Tell me more..." He said as he leaned across the table to listen to the smiling Kabuto. _'Game, set, and match Konoha. Too bad you didn't use your valuable resource when you had the chance.'_ The silver haired spy thought as he told an eager Naruto about a certain powerful sannin...

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Mwhahahaha, my new epic starts! This is the best idea I have ever had in regards to a fan fiction. I really hope you guys like this start. I won't be neglecting 'Bushido no Jutsu' of course, I'll be writing them together, so don't worry about that. Anyway, please review to tell me what you think about this one, thanks!  



	2. Snake Eyes

Ok! Here's the second chapter. Lemme clear something up right now, this is not a Yaoi fiction. Not that I have anything against them, I just don't want to write one. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, ever...

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**Chapter 2: Snake Eyes**

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"Are we there yet?"

"No..."

"When will we get there?"

"Soon..."

"How strong is this Orochi guy again?"

"It's Orochimaru, and he's very strong." It has been like this ever since the pair has left Konoha. The silver haired Genin had managed to smuggle the blonde out of the village without anyone catching on, not like anyone would notice right away anyway. Now traveling past the boarder of Fire Country, they would arrive at the temporary base of Orochimaru within a day...if a certain blonde would keep his mouth shut and just concentrate on moving quickly.

"So, where is this place again and why are we moving so fast?" Naruto asked as they leapt from tree to tree. At first, Naruto couldn't get the hang of it until Kabuto explained the basic method of using ones chakra to stick to things. It was the first time anyone had truly tried to teach the boy something and he did his best to learn it, which he did after a few days of falling out of trees. It was a good thing the boy was traveling with a medic-nin because at the rate he was going, he would have bleed to death by the time he was one mile outside of the village. Kabuto sighed at the blondes' question.

"I told you, it's in Rain Country. We're moving so fast because we don't want to run into any partols and I have to get back to Konoha as soon as possible. I have other work to do, you know." Kabuto explained as he stopped on another tree branch to let the boy catch up. One purple blur later, they started to move again. Ah, purple. That was the first thing Kabuto had taught the boy, if he wanted to be a ninja his obsession with orange would have to go. After much arguing in a ninja clothing store, they settled on black pants, like Kabuto's, a dark red shirt, so Naruto could wear a little color, and a dark purple cloak that went down to his ankles and covered his entire body except his head. The boy seemed to like it as he never took the thing off.

"Oh, that's right, you're a spy..." Kabuto had decided to tell the boy he was working for Orochimaru once they were out of the city. Naruto still wasn't too keen on the idea that someone was spying on his former home.

"Well, yes. But that is also part of being a ninja, you know? If it's any consolation, Konoha has spies in other countries itself, so they are no better if you're holding that against me. Remember though, since you came with me you no longer have any ties to that place, one day you might even have to fight the people there, I hope you can deal with that." the Genin said as he leapt down from the trees. They were finally on the boarder of Rain Country. From here, they would have to walk to a town called Kosame where they would meet up with Orochimaru and the rest of his group. "Now, we'll be there in a day so I want to make some things clear." Naruto stopped to look at the older boy. His face was stern and left no room for Naruto to argue. "When we get there, you will address lord Orochimaru as 'Orochimaru-sama', I know how you like your nick-names so let me tell you now that Orochimaru would kill you over most of them. Another thing, you will have to go through some tests to check some things. They might hurt, but they will not kill you so don't complain. Also..." He trailed off. His senses were picking up something closing in on them. He wheeled around in the direction it was coming, it was a single chakra source moving in on them quickly. "Damn it! Naruto, prepare to defend yourself!" Kabuto shouted as he summoned his chakra scalpels. Naruto hurriedly pulled out a kunai from his pouch but kept his hands under his cloak so the enemy wouldn't see what he was doing, it was one of the assassination lessons Kabuto had taught him since they left. Suddenly, there was a flash of swirling water twenty feet in front of them and a man wearing a rain hitai-ate grinning at them. Kabuto brought his chakra-covered hands up in a neutral stance.

"And what do we have here? What is your business in Rain Country?" Asked the ninja. Kabuto looked the man over, he was large and powerful with a set of tonfa he was grasping tightly. Kabuto shifted his eyes over to Naruto. The boy was obviously nervous, but still managed to hold his ground. He was relieved that he had taken off his own hitai-ate as Hidden Rain and Hidden Leaf are not on the best of terms at the moment.

"Am am an lordless Chuunin traveling with my Genin apprentice. We are trying to meet up with the rest of our group in Kosame. Now, if you would kindly get out of our way..." Kabuto let the sentence end. He wasn't too sure what the man had in mind, but he was not about to let his guard down.

"Ah, so that's it. Well, I don't care about your business in Rain, because I'm a missing-nin myself." The man said as he whirled his tonfa around. "But as such, I do have to make a living and you two must have some money on you, I'm going to relieve you of it." Kabuto smirked.

"So, a former ninja became a bandit, how...noble. No, I don't think we'll give you anything and if you value your life, you'll leave. Trash like you shouldn't threaten your betters" Kabuto said as he flared his chakra. The man snarled and launched himself at the silver haired boy. Naruto could only watch in awe as the two nin's began their dance of death, each putting their very survival into the battle. The missing-nins' tonfa spun out and tried to crush Kabuto's skull when the man saw an opening, but the medic-nin twisted his body in ways the blonde boy wouldn't have thought possible. Kabuto seemed to be running out of steam, however, as a tonfa finally caught him in the arm, sending him to his knees from the shock. The missing-nin tired to follow up with his other weapon, but before he could bring it down he found Kabuto's hand on his chest.

"Goodbye." Kabuto said before he sent his chakra scalpel into the man, cutting into his chest with surgical precision. The man just stood there shaking for a moment before bursting into a puddle of water, much to the shock of Naruto and Kabuto.

"Mizu bunshin?-!" Kabuto didn't have time to react as a tonfa was plowed into the side of his head from behind. His body spun in the air before crashing into a nearby tree with a thud. He could only sit up with the tree's support as the missing-nin loomed over him, tonfa raised.

"Too bad, shouldn't have shot your mouth off you damned brat." He said as he brought the tonfa down. Kabuto could only weakly raise his hands in a token effort at defense. _So, this is it? My ambition ends here? _He heard the sound of blood dripping on the ground, bringing him back to reality. He looked up, the man had stopped mid-swing, his face in anguish, his free hand digging at his side. Kabuto looked at the man's side and saw a kunai lodged deeply into his flesh; further over he saw a shaking Naruto with his arm still stretched out from the throw. Kabuto didn't need another minute to react, he summoned every ounce of strength he had and jammed his hands over the man's heart, ending his life with five chakra scalpels that eviscerated every artery in his chest. The missing-nin coughed up blood then fell backwards as Naruto fell to his knees shaking. Kabuto braced himself with the tree and started to heal his worse wounds with a medical jutsu. Afterwards, he walked over to the man and pulled the kunai out of his lifeless body, tossing it at Naruto's feet.

"Let's keep moving." He said with a calm voice that made Naruto's blood turn to ice. He nodded and stood on shaky legs, grabbing the bloody kunai before following the silver haired spy.

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"So...that was the first time you helped kill someone, right?" Kabuto asked as he and Naruto walked into the small town of Kosame. They had just arrived at twilight and were going to find a place to rest for the night. Kabuto decided it was best to deal with the boys' problems with killing before he met Orochimaru. Something like that, if you weren't used to it, would probably break the boy. When Naruto didn't answer, Kabuto continued, "In our line of work, you can't help things not coming to that. I gave him a chance to leave, but he didn't, thus he died. You will have to make those kinds of decisions in the future if you ever want to be a Shinobi, you know. With power comes obligation. You will definitely have missions where you will have to kill people you've never even met before and you won't always have the luxury of them being as bad as the guy you helped kill back there. If you can't deal with that, you can't be a Shinobi. Do you understand, Naruto?" Kabuto watched the boy take a deep breath and nod after a few minutes of reflection; that would be enough for now. "Ok, shall we find a place to stay, then? I take you to meet Orochimaru-sama tomorrow and he'll begin your training...if he finds you acceptable, that is." Kabuto knew the snake sannin would be ecstatic to have the Jinchuuriki in his force but he didn't want the boy to get a big ego, there were some children under Orochimaru that were Naruto's age that could even beat him.

"Kabuto-san..." Naruto started up. "What...will my purpose be when I'm a ninja? I have no village to protect or goal...I can't go back and be the Hokage of the village now that I've left..." Kabuto nodded thoughtfully. _So, it's beginning to set in, eh? Guess he is growing up some. _

"Well, not everything important is based around a village, Naruto. Right now you might not have anything to protect, but one day you will acquire something worth betting your life for. When you do, you'll find your ninja way. Whether that thing is a person, place, ideal...it doesn't matter. You'll get your inspiration." _Just like my ambition gives me strength..._

"...thanks Kabuto-san." Both stood in the street for a moment before Naruto broke the silence with his usual boasts. "Well, after kicking that missing-nins ass, I want something to eat! Since I had to save you, you're buying." Declared the blonde as he headed towards the nearest ramen stand. Kabuto rolled his eyes as he followed the young boy for a night of eating a ramen banquet the boy was famous for ordering...

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"**Kai!" **Kabuto yelled as he held the cancel seal. It was early morning when the two departed the town to travel deep into the forests outside of Kosame. After a few hours of travel, they arrived at a large woodland spring with huge trees growing all around. They were seemingly older than time itself as they stood majestically over the large pools of water like massive sentinels, their massive roots plunging into the depths. It seemed normal enough when Kabuto said that they were here, but when Naruto said he didn't see anything Kabuto informed him that a massive Genjutsu was put in place to hide the complex. As Kabuto canceled part of the jutsu, the picture in front of Naruto's eyes wavered for a few moments and a window opened, what he saw as they both walked through was a complete shock...

"W-wow...that was here the whole time...?" Naruto asked as he took in the place. There were numorous planks that were built into the massive trees with buildings on them. Rope bridges connected the different trees and lights were flickering around the place. Kabuto led him over to a rope ladder and motioned for him to climb up. Further and further they went until they reached athe central planked area that used the fork of two massive limbs to stay stable. Several people were engaged in training on the plank structure but they all stopped to look at Kabuto and Naruto. A man in flowing white robes held his hand up to the ninja who had their hands on their kunai pouches. He slowly walked up to the two. He was older than Kabuto, but not by much. His white hair and clothing matched his pale skin. Naruto could just make out a pinwheel symbol on his chest and wondered what it was for.

"Ah, Kabuto-san, I don't believe we were expecting you back so soon, especially with..." He turned to look down at Naruto with cold eyes. "...company. What is the meaning of this?"

"Something of vital importance to Orochimaru-sama. Please tell him I would like an audience with him and that I bring someone I think he should meet." Kabuto said locking eyes with the man.

"...of course. Please stay here why I go inform him." The man said as he walked off towards a building at the back of the planked area. It was one story with two smaller buildings on either side. Twin snake symbols were on either side of the door. Naruto tried not to look nervous, but that was all but impossible since every person that was formally training was now looking at him. He noticed several children his own age off at the back talking to one another. _There are other kids here? Maybe I won't be so lonely after all..._ After a few minutes, the man in white came back out and walked over to Naruto and Kabuto.

"Orochimaru-sama will see you know." He said and then went back over to the group of children.

"...scary..." Naruto said as he and Kabuto made their way over to the building.

"Better get used to it, he's one of the highest-ranked ninja here. You'll be associated with him the rest of your life." _Or until he keels over from his family's genetic disease. _Kabuto opened the door of the main building and walked into a dimly lit room. Naruto couldn't make out much, but there seemed to be a chair in the middle with a person sitting in it.

"Kabuto...what is so important that you jeopardized your mission to show me? And who is this...boy..." The man asked as he leaned forward in his chair.

"He is Uzumaki Naruto, Orochimaru-sama. He came here by his own will to serve you and receive training." Kabuto said as he bowed deeply to the man.

"So...this is the Jinchuuriki? He seems...weak." The man said as he leaned back to a normal sitting position.

"Weak? Well yeah, that's why I'm here. I don't want to be weak anymore! Train me, old man!" Naruto shouted. Kabuto paled and gagged for a moment before glaring at Naruto. The man in the chair sat still for a moment before breaking out into a subtle chuckle.

"Kukuku...You certainly inherited her temper, didn't you?" The was suddenly filled with light from two torches on either side of the room. Startled for a moment, Naruto looked up into the face of the man in the chair. His eyes were slanted like a snakes and he had a very angular face. He was wearing the same outfit as the man from outside only it seemed more formal. He seemed to be in his mid-forties but no part of him showed he was old. "I like this one, he has...spirit. Ninotsugi, take him to the medical ward and get him prepped for surgery." Orochimaru noticed the scared look on the boy's face and laughed his strange laugh again. "Don't worry, I am giving you a special gift for pledging your loyalty to me, that is what you want to do, right?"

"H-hai, Orochimaru-sama!" Naruto said as a previously-unseen ninja appeared behind him. The ninja, who Naruto guessed was 'Ninotsugi', opened a door off to the side of the room and waited for Naruto. The blonde bowed once to Orochimaru and headed off with the other man. Once they were both out of the room, Kabuto spoke up.

"Orochimaru-sama, what 'gift' are you planning on giving him? He is rather young for..." Orochimaru held up his hand.

"I know he is too young for a cursed seal and I can not use his body because of the Nine Tails. I think though, he will make an excellent piece in my game, I see he has much potential." The Snake Sannin then rose from his seat and moved to follow the other two towards the medical complex. "We have a boy with a unique gift. It is within my power to transfer that gift to Naruto-kun. I think it will serve him, and me, better than it would that fool Zaku, don't you?"

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama!" Kabuto motioned for another ninja to go and retrieve Zaku. "Of course, he'll have to die for you to be able to transfer that power..." Kabuto said as he followed Orochimaru.

"Yes, but pawns are made to guard better pieces. Kukukuku...right, Kabuto?"

"...Hai." _Orochimaru, I think you will find that even a pawn can beat a king if used correctly..._ The two continued to walk down the corridor as a scream sounded from further down the hall. "So, it seems the pawn has been sacrificed for our knight."

"Yessss..." Orochimaru walked into the lab area where a now unconscious Naruto was strapped to a large table. A corpse of a boy with spiky black hair was also laying on another table across from him. Orochimaru chuckled as he examined the dead boys hands. He felt along the length of the arm and stopped at his palm. There was a red stone set into it, just like his other arm. "Now, Naruto-kun, here is my gift to you, a taste of the power I can provide." He said to the unconscious blonde as the sannin started making hand seals. "Use the 'Kuuki Taihou' and grow strong." As the room whited-out due to the jutsu, Kabuto smiled.

_Yes, Naruto. You must grow strong indeed..._

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Hehehe, I couldn't help but give Naruto the Air Cannon. Props to whomever remembers what that is from the manga, for those who don't know I'll explain it next chapter which should be up tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!


	3. Year One: Destroy all Banditos!

Wow, this story is getting off to a slow start, is Bushido no Jutsu really more popular than this one? Anyway, as to those who won't remember the Air Cannon, the Sound Genin 'Zaku' used it during the Chuunin exams. He fought Shino in the elimination match and ever since then I've been in love with the thing, it's so cool! Anyway, on with the chapter! Ah, another thing, the perspective is now switching over to Naruto form now on, the last chapters were more Kabuto-centric.

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Naruto, if I did Naruto would never say 'believe it' ever again.

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**Chapter 3: Year One: Destroy All Banditos!**

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"Ugh...what the hell happened to me..." Naruto groggily sat up, wherever he was, it was dark and he was unable to see. He seemed to be in a bed of some sort, because whatever he was sitting on was soft. He tried to rub his eyes but found his arms were throbbing in pain whenever he would try to move them, in fact most of his body would hurt when he would try to move. He gave up trying to figure out were he was for the time being and slumped back down into the bed. _Man, my arms feel weird, like part of them is hollow..._ Naruto again tried to move them only to have the sharp pain return. "Damn it, that hurts!" he shouted.

"Hey, will you be quiet? Some of us need sleep." Came a voice from the darkness. It was groggy and irritated but it was someone to talk to.

"Heh, sorry. Didn't think anyone else was in here with me." Naruto answered, he was still trying to pinpoint where the voice came from.

"Both of ya...shut the hell up." a different voice called out. The first voice ignored the second and continued talking.

"Well there is and we're trying to sleep. You shouldn't even be awake yet anyway, Orochimaru-sama said you'd be out for a few days." the voice said, now more awake. Naruto heard the shuffling of blankets near the other voice followed by what sounded like metal hitting someone's head followed by something falling back into a bed with a loud 'thud'.

"That should shut your mouth for the night, you damned idiot." a female voice muttered. "And unless you want your head to meet metal I suggest you shut the hell up as well." the girl said before Naruto heard her get back into her bed. From several points around the room he heard chuckles but a growl from where the girl was sleeping silenced them as well.

_Wow...scary. _Deciding it was best to lose consciousness under his own power, the blonde boy tried to ignore the strange feeling in his arms and drift off to sleep.

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_"Look at Sasuke-kun! He did a perfect Henge no Jutsu!" Exclaimed the pink-haired girl. _

_"Yeah, Sasuke-kun is great! He's so amazing!" Said a blonde-haired girl as she glomped onto his arm. The pink-haired narrowed her eyes and tried to pry the blond off of the annoyed Uchiha. It was the first jutsu Iruka had taught his class. As expected, the Uchiha genius performed it perfectly on the first attempt. The little blonde boy had not done as well. His Henge of the Third Hokage was deformed and would never fool even a villager, let alone a ninja. Iruka sighed as he watched the blonde walk over and stand by the black-haired genius while the two leaders of the Sasuke fan club fought it out._

_"Wow, Sasuke. You sure are lucky." the boy said. The other boy looked over at him annoyed._

_"Why's that, dobe?" He asked. The blonde ignored the insult as he looked at one half of the cat fight._

_"Sakura-chan really likes you...I wish she liked me as much as you..." the boy said, sadly._

_"Hn, I really couldn't care less about her." The blonde stared at the Uchiha wide-eyed. Sasuke saw the confusion in his face and shrugged. "What? I don't have time for anything like that. She's just like the others, so annoying." The little blonde boy started shaking in anger._

_"Don't talk about Sakura-chan like that!" The genius smirked as he saw the other boy clinch a fist._

_"Or what, dobe? If you like that annoying girl so much, why not say something? You two would be perfect for each other, both of you are so weak..." He didn't get a chance to say anything more as a fist flew at his face. Dodging to the side, he dropped into a defensive stance. The blonde was about to charge when a fist from behind floored him. Looking up from the ground, the blonde stared wide-eyed at the pink-haired student looming over him._

_"Stop bothering Sasuke-kun!" She yelled, waving a fist at him. _

_"B-but Sakura-chan..." he started. She frowned at him and put her hands on her hips._

_"I don't want to hear it, Naruto! You're lucky Sasuke-kun is so nice or he might have really hurt you! You're always picking fights with him for no reason, you're so annoying!" she huffed, skipping over to Sasuke and grabbing his arm. The Uchiha only snorted in disgust. The slightly bruised blonde girl from before started arguing with the pink-haired girl again with Sasuke in the middle. Naruto watched from the ground as they both stared to fight again over the black-haired boy..._

_----------_

"Unnn...five more minutes..." The blonde boy rolled over in his bed. Light streamed into the room and the gleam played on his face, teasing his eyes open. After a long yawn, the boy sat up. The pain he felt last night was slightly less this morning and he found he could actually move his arms. He tensed a fist and cracked his knuckles. Feeling somewhat better, he fell back into the soft pillow remembering his dream. _Sakura..._

"Hey, time to get up." Said the same voice from last night. Naruto shifted his eyes over to where the voice came from. He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes. _What the hell?_ The young boy standing off to the side was about his age, shoulder-length black hair, and...six arms? The boy noticed the stare he was getting and smirked. He raised one of his arms and scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah...I'm Kidoumaru. About the arms...I'm from the Kumo clan and we all look like this...well, we all used to look like this..." The boy grew sad for a moment and Naruto realized he hit a sore spot.

"Um, that's ok! I just was just surprised, that's all. I bet it's useful having all those extra hands, you can eat ramen faster! By the way, I'm Naruto." Naruto said with a smile. The other boy perked-up a bit and smiled. "So, where am I and why do I feel like I got hit by an angry fan girl? Last thing I remember was that big guy, Ninotsugi, knocked me out..." Naruto said as he rubbed his head. He was happy to find no mark of the incident. The spider boy grinned.

"Yeah, Orochimaru-sama gave you a gift! Check out your hands." he exclaimed gesturing to one of his palms. Naruto lifted his hand and did a double-take at his palm. There was a small red stone set into the middle with his skin growing around it. His other hand had an identical stone.

"I guess these stones have something to do with it, huh? My arm also feels weird like there is something new in there..." He felt along the length of his arm. something was added that started right below his elbow and ended behind the stone.

"Don't worry about it right now. Kimimaro-sensei will explain it all once we see him. Right now, I'm supposed to show you around." Kidoumaru said as he walked over to the door. "I'll be right outside. Once you get dressed, we'll get some breakfast." with that, he shut the door behind him leaving Naruto to his own devices.

"Wow, I wonder what kinda gift this is?" Naruto wondered as he got up. He was wearing a white hospital gown; a set of white robes were folded up at the foot of his bed. _Aw man, I hate wearing robes..._ He noticed his cloak was also folded up, so he put on the robes with the cloak over it. Satisfied with his look, he walked out of the room into a long hall.

"Ready to eat?" asked Kidoumaru as he saw Naruto walk out of the room. A loud growling of his companion's stomach was all the answer he needed and they both set off in the direction of the cafeteria.

-------

"Eh, think you got enough food?" asked Kidoumaru. The chef on duty had almost burst into tears as his blonde friend had stacked food onto his plate. He settled on a simple bowl of rice. Naruto only smiled as he looked the place over, it really wasn't what he was expecting. The cafeteria was built on one of the massive planks that constituted the complex. It was outdoors which suited Naruto just fine, the breeze felt calming swishing through the leaves. The two settled on a table and sat down to eat, Naruto's table manors showing themselves once again.

"So, when am I going to start training?" The blonde said between mouthfuls.

"Today, hopefully. Orochimaru-sama wants to see you once I get done with the tour then you meet up with the rest of the kids for basic training. You'll also be learning how to use that new gift you have." the spider boy answered.

"So, I'm in the same class as you are? How about those other kids I saw yesterday?" Naruto asked. He remembered Kidoumaru talking with another group of children the day he came with Kabuto.

"Yeah, same class as me. The others are all in the same class as you, too." Kidoumaru said as he finished up his rice. He was shocked when he saw Naruto get done about the same time as he did. _Where the heck does he put it all.. _"Uh...ready for the rest of the tour?" The blonde nodded and got up to follow the spider boy as they made their way around the compound...

------

"...well, my work here is done. I've shown you just about everything." Kidoumaru said as he and Naruto stood in front of the doors that led to Orochimaru's audience chamber. Naruto nodded. He and Kidoumaru had seen just about everything the place had to offer; the watchtower, the training dojo, the dorm room he had woken up in, even the recreational area which constituted a giant library. "Ok, Orochimaru-sama wants to see you, after the meeting you come to the dojo for class. It's starts in an hour so don't be late unless he keeps you." With a quick nod from Naruto, Kidoumaru headed back down to the dojo to get some pre-class practice. Naruto steeled himself and knocked on the large door.

"Enter." came the reply from within. Naruto gulped and pulled the door open. The room was as dark as ever but the candles were burning so he could see what he was looking at. The sannin was sitting on his throne looking over official-looking papers. He noticed Naruto and put the stack away. "Ah, Naruto. I trust your tour with Kidoumaru-kun went well?" Naruto nodded. "Good, good. I take it you must have some questions. Firstly, about your new gifts. It is a present from me for joining up, it's called the 'Kuuki Taihou' or 'Air Cannon'. It's a special weapon you'll have for the rest of your life. It's really a blood limit that you can now pass down to your children, I'll have your teacher teach you what it's for and such but I will tell you that it's a way to control sound waves and air pressure, it's really quite useful." Naruto smiled, this is what he had come for; the means to become a strong ninja. "Now, I have something important to discuss with you. I have decided that you will have to change your family name to avoid anyone from Konoha finding you. I'll also have to change your look slightly, that blonde hair is a dead give away that you're Uzumaki Naruto." The sannin rose from his seat and walked over to Naruto. Doing a complex set of hand seals, he touched the boys forehead. Naruto felt weird for a minute and watched in awe as a stray strand of blonde hair turn white. The sannin walked back to his chair and sat down, smirking in a way only he could.

"W-what? How did you do that?" Naruto said as he ran his hand through his now white hair.

"A simple jutsu ninja use for long-term spy missions." was the sannin's reply. "Now that that is taken care of, time for your new name." Orochimaru thought for a moment before chuckling. "You are, from now on, Torajikku Naruto. You understand, Naruto-kun?" the sannin asked. Naruto nodded, still trying to take in so many changes at once. "Good, now get to class, today you start your new life." After Naruto had left, a familiar silver-haired medic-nin came from the shadows.

"Torajikku Naruto? Where did that come from, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked.

"Kukuku, it's the child's real name. That old fool The Third gave him the name 'Uzumaki', lucky for him I knew his parents and thus his real name. Now Kabuto, go back to Konoha and continue your mission."

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama." said the medic-nin as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke leaving a laughing Snake Sannin to continue with his utterly evil paperwork.

------

"Ah! Finally found the place again..." Naruto said as he slid open the door to the dojo. He had forgotten where classes were being held until a helpful ninja pointed out the way. _A lot nicer than those jerks back home... _When he entered, the noticed that there weren't many children at all, only the few he had seen the day he arrived. The sound of a fight brought his attention to the front of the dojo. The white haired man from the other day, whom Kidoumaru had told him was their teacher 'Kimimaro', was sparring with a large boy with a short Mohawk. Naruto spotted Kidoumaru sitting with a red-haired girl and sat down beside them.

"Ah, hey there Nar...uto?" the boy stared. He was staring at the now white-haired boy with a questioning look. Naruto smirked and scratched his neck.

"Orochimaru-sensei said that my blonde hair would stand out too much, so he changed it." the white-haired boy explained. The fight between the two at the front was over with the large boy winded and bruised, Kimimaro didn't have a scratch. The large boy limped off to sit with another boy who had a...puppet or something latched to his back. It was freaky in Naruto's opinion. Kimimaro looked over his class and sighed.

"You, I suppose you're the new student? Orochimaru-sama always gives me the weak trash to deal with..." The teenager sighed. Naruto gritted his teeth and stood up, pointing at the man.

"Hey! I am Uzu...er...Torajikku Naruto and I will be a strong ninja with or without your help! I'll kick your ass right now you sissy!" he exclaimed. The red-haired girl sitting beside blinked before she broke out into hysterics. Kidoumaru just buried his head in his hands with a definite 'I-do-not-know-this-idiot' sigh.

"Y-you beat Kimimaro-sensei?" the girl sputtered out between giggles. "Yeah, right. He would kill you in a second. Hell, I could kick your ass with just my feet, shrimp." She said.

"Oh yeah?-! Come on then, lets see what you can do to me." Naruto said as he faced his new opponent. The girl smirked and looked over at her teacher. Kimimaro sighed and nodded. The redhead whipped out a wooden flute and bounded onto the stage.

"Well, tiny? Get up here so I can kick yer ass!" She yelled. The white-haired boy tossed off his cloak revealing the white robes he had on under them. He armed himself with a kunai and faced off against her. The two glared at each other before Kimimaro coughed.

"Ok you two, get ready...and fight!" The redhead twirled her flute like a baton and rushed at the boy who countered with his weapon. Kunai against flute, the two were in a deadlock. With their free hands, they launched punches at each other. The girl caught Naruto in his jaw while he got her with a chop to the neck. The foul-mouthed girl noticed that the deadlock wasn't going to be broken by just Taijutsu(not that the brawl they were having involved any skill whatsoever) so she leapt back to put some distance in between her and the white headed boy. Quickly doing hand seals, she finished a jutsu before Naruto could get to her.

"**_Ori Genkaku no Jutsu!" _**the redhead cried. Naruto braced himself for whatever she was throwing at him. He soon realized something was wrong when an iron cage suddenly appeared, trapping him inside.

"Ha, that should teach you to mess with your betters. Shame that you hit me, you almost scratched my pretty face, if that were to happen I would really have to kick yer scrawny ass." She said, cupping her own cheek, smiling. Naruto scoffed while trying to pry the bars open.

"Pretty? What kinda guy calls himself pretty?" Naruto teased. _Just gotta keep her busy until I find a way out of this thing._ The girl colored a bit before fuming at her white-haired opponent.

"I'm a girl you bastard!" She yelled. Naruto snickered at the successfulness of his barb. He looked at his bars again, they seemed to fade a bit when he made her mad. One of the other kids say something that caught both combatant's attention.

"Oh, she lost concentration for a moment there. She better get her anger under control or she won't be able to hold the illusion." he said.

"Shut up you prick!" She yelled at him. Naruto again saw the bars waver and then it hit him. _Genjutsu! So, she has to keep concentration on the illusion or it will fall, huh? _He then whistled at the girl, getting her attention.

"Hey, are you sure you're a girl? I mean, from what I can see of your figure in that robe, I can't tell." Naruto taunted. The girl was grinding her teeth so hard Naruto was sure he saw one of them chip. The howling laugher from all the children present wasn't doing much for her concentration either.

"Y-y-you bastard! I'll rip out your spine through your mouth and beat you with it!" she yelled as she pulled out her flute once again and rushed the boy, the Genjutsu failing as she did so.

_Got you! _Naruto declared mentally. He stared drawing chakra to his hands to start hand seals for a jutsu he saw Kabuto use when another pull caught his attention. The hollow part in his arms was drawing small doses of chakra to it. _This must be the Air Cannon!_ Naruto pumped a large about of chakra into the hollow and raised his hands up at the girl. She stopped confused at this action until the air around her started to push on her body. With a visible pulse, air radiated out from the stones in Naruto's arms and slammed into the girl sending her flying back into the dojo's wall. Exhausted, Naruto fell to his knees. The rest of the students looked on in awe while Kimimaro checked on the girl.

"So, he used the _Zankuuha,_ not too bad for a rookie." He said as the girl picked herself off the floor. She shook the after effects of the blast out of her head then turned to glare at the boy.

"You didn't tell me he had an Air Cannon, Kimimaro!" she accused.

"Well, you didn't bother to ask." he retorted. The weird boy with the 'puppet' on his back giggled.

"Ha, he kicked your ass, Tayuya." The boy said through his chuckles.

"SHUT UP SAKON! He got lucky, that's it!" Tayuya defended. Kidoumaru helped his white-haired friend off the ground with two of his arms while the rest were crossed across his chest.

"Hardly luck, you just got to mad. He was caught in that Genjutsu until you let him get under your skin. Good strategy on his part." the boy said. Naruto smiled and stuck out his tongue at the redhead. She was about to launch herself at him when Kimimaro stepped between them.

"That's enough. We do have a class to get through today, you know. All of you take your seats and we'll start." he then turned to Naruto who had since sat down beside Kidoumaru. "I'll teach you all about the Air Cannon when you all sit down." The girl grumbled and took a seat opposite of the spider boy, all the while shooting glares at the white haired boy who returned them with equal vigor.

_Guess this is as good as those two will get._ "Ok, the Air Cannon is a special weapon that focuses chakra into a special organ inside the users' arm. Those two little jewels on Naruto's palms are what lets the air pressure escape into what is known as the '_Zankuuna' _which is the special attack of the Air Cannon. You felt a pull right? That was the organ drawing chakra from your body to convert into air pressure." Naruto nodded. He now had a fundamental understanding of his new weapon and he couldn't be more happy if the grin on his face was any indication. He missed the murmur of 'it's not so great...' coming from the redhead on his far right.

_------_

_It was a good day. _Naruto and the others had spent the rest of the class learning about history and combat practice. He found his new classmates much more interesting than he had originally thought. As it turned out, his friend Kidoumaru turned out to be a crack shot at throwing weapons. He could hit a target over twenty meters away with the flick of his wrist. The big guy who was sparring with the teacher was named Jiroubou and he had to be the strongest guy Naruto had ever met! He could easily lift fifty pounds over his head while Naruto could only hold twenty. The guy who Naruto thought had a puppet turned out to be something very weird. That 'puppet' was actually the boys' twin brother and it was a special bloodline that allowed them to share the same body. Other than that, they were both really good with Taijutsu and could hit a target almost as well as Kidoumaru with a kunai. Even the foul-mouthed redhead was more than Naruto thought she would be. She already knew a few Genjutsu's and could use that flute of hers like a club, wielding it with a finesse that was truly something to watch. Naruto still didn't know how she did that twirling thing. He had practiced with his Air Cannons until he could use several small _Zankuuna's _before he would have to rest. Kimimaro-sensei said that sound and wind jutsu's would come easier because of his experience and had started teaching him a wind jutsu. He was still a good bit behind the rest of the kids and he knew it. They could do incredible things without help and he had to rely on his Air Cannon to do anything that could even touch them, his fight with Tayuya had shown him that.

"Hey, Naruto. Are you awake?" Came the voice of Kidoumaru. Naruto sat quiet for a moment to make sure an angry Tayuya wouldn't crack him with her flute. When he was sure she was asleep, he answered back quietly.

"Yeah." the white-haired boy whispered back.

"...why did you leave Konoha?" This caught Naruto off-guard. He thought for a moment before answering.

"Because the people there hate me. Kabuto-san said that if I came here, I could get stronger. It's my dream to be a strong ninja." he said quietly.

"Is that it? Just be a strong ninja?" the spider boy asked back.

"Well, I guess. Never really thought past that...how about you?" Naruto asked.

"...my clan was destroyed. We lived in Mist Country but a rival clan feared our power and slaughtered my whole family in a clan war..." Naruto sat quietly listening to the story, "I want to see that other clan burn! I want to see my house restored, that's why I'm here. I think it's more or less the story of us all. Orochimaru-sama took us all in and offered us training. One day, we'll find somewhere to fit in...but, your story reminds me of Tayuya. She doesn't know about her clan at all. The village where she grew up kicked her out when she was little and she found her way here. I don't know much more than that, she won't say much but she's had a hard time..." Naruto sat there taking this all in.

"You guys...shut up and go to sleep." came a female voice from across the room. They all sat there for a moment before Naruto decided to break the tension.

"Why are you in here with the guys again? Shouldn't girls be, like, with other girls?" Naruto asked, grinning.

"I'm fine right here shrimp, just don't try anything while I'm asleep or I'll stomp your ass." came the gruff reply.

"Ha, like any sane guy would want to try anything with a foul-mouthed tomboy like you, especially since they can't tell if your a girl." Kimimaro sighed, he knew all to well what was about to happen.

"YOU BASTARD!" she screamed. Suddenly World War III was declared in the boarding room. Sounds of air blasts and cursing that would make a sailor blush filled the massive complex, shaking the trees down to their roots, all the while a certain white-haired kid was laughing as a redhead chased him around yelling bloody death...and he couldn't be happier.

- -----

And so the months dragged on. Reports from Kabuto stated that Naruto had been declared dead after an exhausting search led by Umino Iruka. It was suspected that one of the villagers had killed the demon vessel much to the collective happiness of the town. The day he was officially declared dead had been one of an undeclared holiday in Konoha. Back in the 'Snakes Den', the official name of Orochimaru's lair, it was a certain white-haired ninja's birthday. While Orochimaru wasn't one for celebration, he would give everyone a special request on that day, he was a softy for birthdays. Most asked for special jutsu or something else they could never learn by themselves while others asked for a day off to mess around in the nearby towns. Naruto had something very special in mind after he walked into Orochimaru's office. The Snake Sannin himself was doing the usual official evil paperwork when he motioned for the boy to come forward.

"Ah, Naruto-kun. It's that time of year already?" He asked, snaking his eyes up from the sheet of paper he was holding.

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama! I've put a lot of thought into it, and I know exactly what I want." Naruto smiled.

"And that would be...?" the sannin asked.

"A mission! My friends and I have been training all the time and I wanna do something with that training! Anything will do, just something to get us out of this base." the boy exclaimed. Orochimaru thought this over, it was true; Naruto and his classmates were some of the strongest students in the base and most students did missions for the local town.

"Ok. I'll come up with something by the end of the week for you and your class. It won't be much, but it will let you stretch your legs outside for a bit." He chuckled as the boy jumped up and down, ecstatic at the prospect. "And here, take this as well." the sannin said as he tossed a letter at the boy. "Give that to the man in front of the storehouse. White may be good to practice in but you need proper clothing to go out on a mission. You can pick what you want, just make sure you get a mask, you can't have anyone recognize you from Konoha just because you don't think they are around."

"Hai!" The boy bowed and the sannin waved him off. Once he was gone, the man let out a breath.

"Ugh, I'm glad he only wanted a mission. I thought for sure he was going to ask me to teach him some crazy jutsu." Orochimaru laughed when he heard the boy curse loudly as the fact he could have asked for that dawned on him. "Kukuku...now, back to more paperwork..." Karma was not kind to Orochimaru as a ninja brought in twice as much paper work as he just had. As he watched the pile grow higher and higher, his eye twitched. _I wonder how many sacrifices Manda would make me give him to eat all this work..._

------

After going through the entire storehouse, the white-haired Jinchuuriki made his way back to his barrack. He had settled for simple black pants, dark purple shirt, and red shirt with a purple vest for style. The most unique thing he had picked up was an old hunter-nin mask that had a fox face. The white mask with red lines for whiskers had a long nose and ears that was topped off by white hair. Naruto wondered if anyone would recognize him.

"Hey, shrimp." came a voice from behind. The boy whirled around to see a smirking Tayuya staring at him. "What? No way I wouldn't know it was you. I could recognize that freak hair of yours anywhere." Naruto sighed and took off the mask.

"Yeah, yeah. Just like anyone could recognize your masculine build, eh?" Naruto taunted as he dodged a flute aimed at his head. After a few curses from both sides, the two called a unspoken truce and settled down.

"So, what's with the mask? Not that I'm complaining, anything that hides that face of yours is fine in my book." Tayuya said with a smirk. Naruto waved off the insult and rubbed his head where her flute had hit him in their last war.

"Heh, I got us a mission!" he declared triumphantly. Tayuya stood there confused.

"You mean, 'I got myself a mission', right?" she asked with a hint of jealousy. If it was possible, his smile got even wider.

"Nope, Orochimaru-sama said our whole class can go on a mission by the end of the week! Think the others will like it?" he asked. She just stood there trying to figure out the white-haired boy in front of her.

"Uh, yeah. If they don't, I'll kick their asses!" she declared, happy that that she was finally going to get out of the village.

"Hell yeah! You go tell them, I've gotta go put away my new clothes." Naruto said as he ran off. She stood there for a few moments before heading off herself. _Hn, interesting guy..._

------

True to his word, Orochimaru gave the class a mission that would be the equivalent of C-Class mission if it was from a hidden village. They set out for the town with Kimimaro in the lead. Most were wearing a better set of white robes except for Naruto who was wearing his dark ensemble, complete with fox mask. There mission was to eliminate a group of bandits that had taken up residence outside the town of Kosame. After the initial reconnaissance, the group stopped about a mile from the bandits hideout to make a plan.

"They're just a bunch of bandits! Let's just run in there and kill them." said Tayuya. She and Naruto had been advocating this approach from the beginning while Kidoumaru and Sakon had been for a drawn-out plan to lure some out of the camp and deal with them individually; Jiroubou elected not to take sides.

"Tayuya's right, we can take them no problem. Between her Genjutsu and my Air Cannon, we could clear the mission ourselves." the fox-masked boy boasted.

"Damn straight. Those pricks can't even set up a decent trap, they won't be too much trouble." the redhead said, caught up in her companions confidence.

"No way! The report says their leader is a Chuunin missing-nin. We can't underestimate them just because we think we're better. Something could always go wrong." Kidoumaru countered. Sakon nodded in agreement. It was about to become a shouting match until Kimimaro decided to step in.

"Look, if you think you can take them all by yourselves, then go do it. The rest of us will stay here." he said in a calm voice. Kidoumaru was about to speak up when he caught a glare from the older teenager.

"Tch, fine!" Tayuya said as she headed off. Naruto looked between the direction she had gone and the group once, then took off after her.

"Why did you let them do that? They could really get hurt!" Kidoumaru shouted. Kimimaro shook his head.

"It's their problem if they over-estimate themselves. Weaklings are useless to Orochimaru-sama. I don't think they'll have a problem though. If they do, we'll step in." Kimimaro stated as he leapt off, slowly following Tayuya and Naruto. He had orders from Orochimaru to not let the boy come to harm, but he wasn't about to coddle the kid. The remaining three looked at each other and collectively sighed before they took off as well.

------

"Dumb bastards, they think they're so clever, ha. I could beat anyone of them in a fight!" the redhead exclaimed to no one in particular. She felt a chakra source following her and looked back. Leaping from tree to tree behind her was the fox-masked boy. "At least one of them has some balls." Only a few hundred meters from the bandit camp, the two stopped to review their attack.

"Ok, it doesn't look like they are expecting anything." Naruto said as he looked over the camps defenses. A few swordsmen were milling around the tents, not many looking fit for combat. "I say we each take a side of the camp and meet in the middle taking out everyone we come across. We'll take their boss together."

"Ugh, why do I have to work with you again? Sounds good though, I'll take the left side. You start your run when I let off a smoke bomb, got it?" the girl asked.

"Yeah, sure. I'm off then." the white-hired boy said as he started his run on the camp. The girl sighed and headed off to the opposite side. Unknown to them both, several sets of eyes and ears had eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Not a bad plan, she isn't as dense as I thought." said Sakon as he leaned back against a tree.

"I don't know, maybe we should have helped them? Like Kidoumaru said, they might run into something..." the large boy said in a worried voice.

"Don't worry about it, I've got them covered whether they like it or not." the spider boy said as he started to form a weapon out of spider silk. The stoic Kimimaro only grunted.

------

"Damn it, that girl is slow as Choji used to be." a aggravated Naruto said to himself. He suddenly shot his eyes over to a plum of smoke coming from the opposite side of the camp. "It's about damn time." he said as he rushed into the camp to begin his attack...

------

"**_Fantomu Tsuchi no Jutsu!"_** Tayuya cried. Several bandits began clawing at the air around them as the effects of the Genjutsu set in. She ended their lives instantly with the flick of two kunai knives. She began her assault and caught the bandits completely off guard, most just waking up from a night of drinking. Smiling to herself, she dispatched two more with her battle flute, crushing their windpipes with the instrument. She kicked a burning log from a campfire into a group of tents and continued on, fire erupting behind her.

------

"Man, there is more weak trash in this camp than I thought..." the masked boy said as he floored another samurai wannabe. Several more tried to surround him but stepped back when he started doing hand seals. **_"Futon: Daitoppa!"_** Wind whipped up around the boy and washed over the surrounding swordsmen before they could react. It pulsed and knocked them all over under its force. They were easily dispatched by kunai once they were off their feet. Naruto looked around and saw several men gathering around a large tent near the center of the camp, some of them moving to intercept something coming from the left. "Ha, can't let her have all the fun, now can I?" the masked boy said as he rushed off towards the group, charging up chakra as he ran.

------

"Damn bi--!" cried a swordsman before he found his insult cut off by a kunai in his throat. The fiery redhead was making good time as she cut through the ranks of fodder wielding her flute and kunai. She was sporting several injuries and her ankle was acting up but she was in more-or-less good shape. She was headed for what she assumed was the leaders tent when she caught sight of a dozen or so samurai bearing down on her. _Ok, these pricks are really asking for it._ She thought as she started forming hand seals.

"**_Zankuuha!" _**The group of swordsmen were tossed several feet away and crashed harshly on the ground. The masked boy was standing with hands outstretched as he searched for a new target. She could feel the chakra gathering for another attack, this one aimed at the leaders tent.

_No you don't! He's mine! _Tayuya grabbed a explosive tag and fixed it to her kunai. She aimed it at the tent and tossed it before the boy could steal her kill.

"Damn it!" he cried and ran for cover, flying though the air as the tent exploded behind him sending him sailing into a nearby tent.

"Ha! Got the bastard. How's that, Naruto?" Tayuya asked as she surveyed her work. Total destruction is what came to her mind as she saw the smoldering crater that had been the command tent. "I guess I'll get the biggest reward for this one, I'm sure you did good in your own way though." she said as she walked over to the downed boy.

"Shut up, Tay--GET DOWN!" the girl didn't have time to react as Naruto dove at her. As the two fell, the sweep of a spear was felt passing over them. Above them, a man with a Hidden Stone hitai-ate glared down at them.

"_Kawarimi no jutsu_, it works like a dream." the man said as he raised his spear, intending to impale them both. Just as he was bringing it down, a white arrow shot through his chest, making it explode in a shower of red.

"W-w-what?" Naruto stuttered, still holding onto the redhead.

"Kidoumaru..." Tayuya said.

"You called? You have no idea how lucky you two are that I just happened along." came a voice from behind the two. They both looked up from the ground to see a panting Kidoumaru holding a bow made out of his chakra spider thread. "Next time, maybe you'll listen to me?" he added, smiling.

"Oh well, looks like he gets the bounty, eh?" the masked boy said from his position.

"My, my. Aren't you two...comfy..." snickered Sakon as he appeared behind a blushing Kidoumaru. "There is a time and place for that sort of thing, you know." The two looked at how they here. Tayuya was still holding onto Naruto's waist and he had his arm draped over her shoulder. They both seemed to realize this at the same time and scurried along the ground away from each other faster than either boy could see.

"You bastard pervert! What the hell was that?-!" the redheaded, and red faced, girl exclaimed.

"What! I saved your life, you should be thankful you hateful witch!" Sakon and Kidoumaru both slapped their foreheads at the shouting match going on. They both decided that helping pick off the remaining bandits was better than listening to the two and took off, not that any amount of distance could drown out the cursing match that was ensuing...

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Wow, this is, I think, the best chapter I have ever wrote, defiantly the best action scene. I don't know how long the next chapter will take to write, I have both college projects and the new chapter of 'Bushido no Jutsu' to write, but this is the start of a story arc. Each new chapter is going to cover another year for Naruto and future Sound Village so expect at least four more chapters based around missions. Anyway, please review and tell me how I'm doing! See you next chapter. 

**Jutsu List! (I did promise to make one...)  
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_Ori Genkaku no Jutsu(Cage Illusion Skill)_  
**Simple Genjustu that makes the effected think he/she is trapped in a cage. Since it's so basic, it requires consentration to stay in effect.

_**Zankuuha(Air Slicing Blast) **_  
Ninja skill that uses the power of the Air Cannon to blast away opponents. Transformes chakra into air pressure by use of a special organ embedded inside the users arm. Bloodline**  
**

_**Fantomu Tsuchi no Jutsu(Phantom Earth Skill)**_  
Advanced Genjutsu that makes the effected think they are being buried alive. Usually has them clawing at the air trying to dig their way out of the illusion leaving them open to other attacks._ **  
**_

_**Futon: Daitoppa(Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)**_  
Mid-level wind skill. Forms chakra currents that swirl the air around the user and expand outward. Useful against multiple opponents.


	4. Year Two: The Hunter and the Hunted

Yosh! I'm finally back with a new chapter. Now, I think something is wrong with the hit counter for all my stories, because I haven't gotten any new hits at all for the last few days, but I have gotten new reviews. Strange, no? I wonder where I can report a glitch…anyway; here is the newest chapter for your viewing pleasure!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did, Sasuke would have died a very painful death early on…maybe Zabuza could have skinned him or something?

_Thoughts_

("radio transmition")

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**Chapter 4: Year 2: The Hunter and the Hunted**

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A white flash flies through the forest; it moves with cold purpose as it stalks its prey. The hunted is oblivious to the peril that it now finds itself in. The hunter takes a cold look at the man before drawing his weapon. Silently, he creeps down from his leafy perch focused on the kill. He moves with grace, cleanly slicing though his intended target's neck with his weapon; his face set in a cold white mask. The sound of kunai impacting on a wood is the only thing that the masked hunter is rewarded with, however, as another figure leaps away in the trees at a frantic pace that the hunter failed to notice.

"Damn it! _Kawarimi no jutsu_, I really hate that jutsu..." the masked boy mumbled. He looked around for his prey only to find he had already fled.

("Hey, idiot! Did you complete the objective yet?") came a familiar female voice. The hunter sighed and answered back into his headset.

"No, the prick used a _Kawarimi _on me and ran." he said as he hurriedly moved the headset away from his ears, knowing what was coming.

("YOU IDIOT BASTARD! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?-! GO AFTER HIM BEFORE HE TELLS THE ENTIRE THUNDER COUNTRY WE'RE HERE!") the voice screamed. The hunter could hear several other voices in the background telling her to quiet down. Once he was reasonably sure she was done ranting, he put back on the headset and took to the trees.

"Don't worry about it! No way he knows where I'm from. I'm wearing my mask, remember? He'll just head to the village and assume I was some random bandit or missing-nin looking for a quick buck. He'll stay there where he thinks he'll be safe." the boy said as he dashed through the trees.

("Uh...won't he though?") was the confused response he got from the other side of the line.

"Heh, no one is safe if they betray Orochimaru-sama. Wait for me outside the village; I'll be back tomorrow morning."

("WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN 'TOMORROW MORN---") the transmition was cut short as the boy turned off his headset.

"So loud..." he mumbled before heading towards the Hidden Cloud and his target...

_**----------**_

_**Flashback**_

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"_So, our mission is to kill some guy named Kainashi?" one half of the set of twins asked. The entire group was on the road all disguised under a Henge. They had left the "Snake's Den" several nights before hand and were heading to the Hidden Village of the Cloud. Kimimaro had gotten the mission straight from Orochimaru and had only given the students a few hours before they left the Den to start their mission. It was a class A, something that Kimimaro said was above his students, but the snake sannin had insisted on it. Now that they were less than a day from their objective, he was having each review the plan before things got hectic._

"_Yes. Our objective is to assassinate a former spy of lord Orochimaru-sama." Kimimaro answered._

"_A spy? Like Kabuto-san?" Naruto asked. The older boy cringed at the mention of the medic-nin's name._

"_Yes. Kainashi was one of our spies in Hidden Cloud. It seems that he has his own ideas and has severed all ties with our group, we can no longer overlook this as he is a potential security risk." Kimimaro replied. _

"_So...what's the plan? I don't wanna run into another mission without a plan! You bastards almost get me killed every time I go on a mission with you." the redhead sneered. Kidoumaru rolled his eyes._

"_That whole bandit thing happened over a year ago! You didn't get hurt so what's the problem? If I remember correctly, you were the one who ran into the middle of their camp without a plan..." the young multi-armed boy said. The girl turned and glared at him._

"_I was talking about the mission last month when the dumb bastard" she pointed to a glaring Naruto, "decided to break the mission objective and clean-out the house! We were only supposed to kill the clan head and leave! You almost got us caught by the guards when you decided to poke around the house's library looking for their jutsu scrolls." she huffed. Said 'dumb bastard' scoffed and calmly flashed the redhead a not-too-friendly gesture that sent her seething._

"_Hey, I didn't get caught did I? Besides, they knew some good jutsu's and I did share them with you! You're so ungrateful!" he snarled. The two were on the verge of coming to blows when they felt several killing intents being directed in their direction._

"_You mean to tell us that you two managed to get the scroll!-? Were you planning on sharing it with the rest of us or just hoarding all the secrets to yourselves?-!" said an irate Sakon. Kidoumaru was also glaring at the pair and even Jiroubou looked annoyed; Kimimaro just rolled his eyes and continued on._

"_N-n-n-now guys...they weren't all that great! Really, you wouldn't have liked them, RIGHT Tayuya?" the white-haired boy poked her in the side, willing her to answer with his eyes._

"_Er, yeah! They totally sucked ass! I wouldn't be caught dead doing any of them." she added, trying to stay clear of suspicion. It didn't work. Luckily, before the two thieves could get the beat down of their lives, Kimimaro spoke up._

"_Alright, we're here." he had led the group to the outskirts of Thunder Country so as to avoid the boarder patrols. "Now, the plan is for one of us to sneak in and deal with him. The target is on patrol today, so we shouldn't have too much trouble. Naruto..." he turned to the boy, "You will go into Thunder Country and ambush him. Tayuya will be your operations manager over the headset." he said as he tossed a pair of headsets to the two pre-teens._

"_Why the hell do I have to stay behind!" yelled the redhead. "No way in hell I'm going to be left behind while this dumb bastard gets all the credit."_

"_Tayuya, Naruto's sound-reducing jutsu's are perfect for this assassination. The rest of us will be sitting this one out so you should be thankful you even have a part in the mission." the older boy said without emotion. The redhead gritted her teeth but snorted and put on the headset. Naruto snickered for a bit, but also donned the tech headgear before putting his fox mask on over it._

"_Alright, here's a picture of him." the older boy said as he handed Naruto a worn photo. "Now, lets take care of this quickly so we can report back. Orochimaru-sama is planning a large operation soon so we can't waste manpower here, understood?" the white-haired boy nodded before leaping off though the trees to stalk his prey..._

_**----------  
End Flashback  
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The young boy made his way closer and closer to the boarder of Hidden Cloud. The patrols were lax for a ninja village and the guards weren't even ninja. The boy put on a Henge in the disguise of an elderly ramen peddler and was waved though the gate. Once inside, he dropped the illusion and tailed his soon-to-be-dead mark, no way he was going to let him get away again...

**_-------_**  
_**Later...  
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A masked figure crawled up the wall to the second story of Hidden Cloud's barracks. A calm, collected demeanor was what was projected through his masked eyes as the shinobi crouched just inside a window. He was wearing a hunter-nin mask that was in a definite canine shape as a stray bolt of lightning illuminated his face. He crept into the room, kunai drawn as he looked at his surrounding. He was in a storeroom of some sort, far away from his objective. He took to the halls of the building dodging patrols and random ninja as they roamed the halls. The ninja continued to search until he found the door he was looking for. Picking the lock, he slipped inside. It was dark except for the random flashes of lighting that illuminated the room through the window. Asleep on a bed in the corner was what he had come for. Reaching his kunai he crept towards the bed and the sleeping figure there-on. He was about to end the man's existence and his mission when he felt another presence in the room. He whirled around and came face-to-face with a short white-haired ninja wearing a fox mask. He regarded this newcomer and stole a look back at the man sleeping on the bed before turning back to the other ninja.

"Well...this is a first..." the dog-masked ninja whispered.

"What the hell? Damn it, I'm here to kill that guy so don't get in my way, got it?" the fox-masked ninja hissed. He held his kunai ready to strike. The other ninja chuckled slightly as he lowered his weapon.

"Seems we both want the same thing, doesn't it? I thought I was the only Konoha mission on this mission, where is your ANBU team meeting?" the dog-masked man asked. The smaller ninja stiffened at the mention of Konoha.

"Uh...outside the village…we just took this job last-minute but…I really just want to get this over with." the fox-masked ninja lied. He put away his kunai and slinked back to the door. "I'll watch for guards, you finish up."

"..." the dog-masked ninja shrugged before heading back over to the bed. He took one look back at the other ninja before slitting the man's throat with surgical precision. The sleeping occupant let out a gurgling sound as his sheets were stained red.

"Good, I'm out of here then, thanks." the fox-masked ninja said before heading over to the window, his method of escape. He didn't get far before he felt the tip of a kunai on the back of his neck.

"Who are you and why do you have a Konoha ANBU mask?" the man said in a lazy tone. "I know you're not ANBU since you let your guard down and I also know that no other teams were dispatched on this mission." The other ninja made to reach for his kunai pouch when the dog-masked man pushed his kunai into his captive's neck drawing blood. "I asked you a question. If you don't answer me I'll just kill you."

"Well, I don't think you'll have to deal with me much longer." the fox-masked ninja said as he drew back up his hand, pointing the palm towards the other ninja. The dog-masked ninja blinked his eye under his ANBU mask at the action and didn't think much of it until a small red stone shone in the darkness.

"What are you..." the man started.

"Z**_ankuuha!"_** the fox-masked ninja yelled. The other ninja was tossed back against the wall of the room as the windows exploded from the air pressure. Blood trickled from his mouth as heard several shouts come from the hall outside the room. The fox-masked ninja had already leapt through the window and was making his escape.

"Damn it!" the dog-masked man hissed before he ran after the other ninja. The fox-masked ninja was fast, but stupid. He ran in a straight line away from the building and out of the village, barley dodging a patrol. The dog-masked man followed him until he stopped in a clearing. He seemed to be talking to himself when he noticed the headset. _Damn! He has reinforcements? I have to get my answers now before they arrive. _The man leapt down from his perch and faced the other ninja. They both stared at each other for a moment before the shorter ninja pulled off the headset and crushed it.

"Ah, that was so I couldn't trace who was on the other end of that call, eh?" the dog-masked ninja stated. He lazily leaned against a tree sizing the fox-masked ninja up.

"What the hell do you want? Your mission is over, right? Leave me alone or I'll make you pay!" the fox-masked ninja shouted. The other man mentally rolled his eyes. _Way too loud for a ninja, definitely not very experienced._

"Look, you have a Konoha ANBU mask, at the very least you have some connection to the village so you're going to give me answers. Understand?" the dog-masked ninja said. He sighed when the boy started to form hand seals and pulled a kunai out to stop the brash ninja.

"**_Gekiha Oshi no Jutsu!"_** the other ninja yelled. The air around the dog-masked ninja seemed to get heavier and he was finding it hard to breath as his lungs started to burn from the pressure being exerted on them. _Damn! I should have used the Sharingan right from the start. _The man pulled off his mask to reveal his gray hair face. His face was obscured by the night, but the fox-masked boy could make out another half mask that covered most of his face. A Konoha hitai-ate was over his left eye until the man pulled it up. The fox-ninja was shocked as the man's eye glowed red and the jutsu being used on him broke down.

"Damn it! What the hell did you do?" Seeing that the man wasn't going to give him an answer, he started to gather chakra. "That's fine, let's see if you can stop this! **_Zankuuha!_**" the boy shouted as a high-power air blast shot out of his palm at the other masked ninja. As the dust cleared the young ninja saw the effects of his attack. A large trench extended from his outstretched palm to where the masked man was, there was no sign of his opponent. The boy lowered his hand and released a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

"H-ha…that got you…" the ninja muttered between breaths. Just as he was about to head off to where his companions were, a hand shot out of the ground and grabed his leg. "What the fu…AHH!" the ninja yelped as he was suddenly buried up to his head in the ground a man chuckling off to his side.

"Such colorful language for a ninja, eh? You must not be very experienced to fall for that trick; it's just a Chuunin-level jutsu. Now, let's try this one more time, who are you and why do you have that mask?" the man asked as he covered his eye. When the boy stayed quiet, the man sighed and walked over to the head poking up from the earth. "Well, let's just see what you look like then…" he said as he reached down and pulled off the ninja's fox-mask. The face that was behind the mask surprised the man. Looking up at him with a glare that could kill demon was a white-haired, blue-eyed boy no more than nine years old. The man blinked his visible eye. _A kid this young made me use the Sharingan? Amazing…_ He was brought out of his musing by a serge of killing intent being directed at him. He looked around and saw the forest changing and warping before his eye. _Genjutsu…_ He uncovered his Sharingan once again and saw through the jutsu. Several figures were watching him from the trees, one of them still holding her hands in a seal. A man turned to her and spoke for a moment before the girl dropped the jutsu. He then leapt out into the clearing in the forest and met the masked-man's gaze.

"You…have one of my students." the white-haired man deadpanned. He was dressed in simple white robes with no visible weapons but gave off the air of danger. The masked ninja just looked back at the man with his lazy eye and shrugged.

"Eh, seems I do. This kid had a Konoha ANBU mask on and I'd be very interested to know how he got it. It's an international incident if you guys killed one of our men." the masked ninja replied.

"…you are the famous Copy-nin, Hatake Kakashi, are you not? You…can not beat me, I strongly suggest you leave." Kimimaro said as he moved closer to the two. The masked ninja, Kakashi, looked at the teenager with surprise.

"Now how would you know that? Since you know so much, I really can't let you guys go now." Kakashi said as he pulled another kunai. Just as the two were about to jump at each other's throats, a white arrow flew by Kakashi's head. A boy with several arms leapt into view setting up another arrow.

"Now, Naruto!" he shouted. Kakashi then realized his mistake; he had taken his eyes off of boy at his feet. He looked down to see a hand pointed up at him, a red stone was pulsing in its palm.

"**_Zankuuha!"_** The copy-nin was sent flying into the night air, his vest tearing in places. He hit a tree with a resounding thud when he descended to earth. The spider boy was quickly coming up to him with his bow armed. A quick bolt shot through the older man's chest but all that was hit was a log. Kidoumaru cursed as he re-strung his bow only to find that Kakashi was nowhere in sight.

"I didn't need your help you know…" Naruto mumbled as Jiroubou pulled him out of his earthy prison. Tayuya dropped from her treetop perch and cracked him on the back of his head with her flute.

"You prick! What the hell were you doing?-! You would be dead now if it wasn't for us coming to drag your worthless ass out of Hidden Cloud!" she yelled. Kimimaro looked over the area and walked back to the boy.

"Was your mission a success?" he asked in monotone. Tayuya shot him a glare for being interrupted and threw her arms up in a huff.

"Yeah, the target is lying in his bed with a slit throat. It was that Konoha ninja that did it though, I ran into him inside the barracks and I guess he followed me when I left, I didn't think he could survive a direct blast from my Air Cannon." Naruto said as he dusted himself off. "So, what do we do now?"

"We head back. Orochimaru-sama has other jobs for us to do and we can't dwell on this one loose end. He doesn't know much so don't worry, I'm sure he can't recognize you from your old village." Kimimaro said as he walked off. Tayuya glared at the boy one last time before she sighed and followed. Naruto was about to leave also when something orange caught his eye. He walked over to where Kakashi had landed after he was hit by the Air Cannon and picked up an orange book. _Huh, guess that Copy Ninja guy dropped it._ He thumbed through it before tossing it back into the forest with a flushed face. _What the hell was that?-! Perverted Konoha ninja!_ Naruto slapped his face to get the blush out before heading off after his comrades, fox mask in hand.

_**Later: Back in Konoha…**_

"…so that's when I ran into the boy. I was in the room of the target when we had a confrontation. He was wearing a Konoha ANBU mask and he said he was with a team. I didn't buy it though and when confronted he attacked me. I think he had a blood limit because my Sharingan couldn't copy that air technique he used on me. I caught him in the forest surrounding Hidden Cloud and managed to subdue him. I took his mask off and saw his face; he had white hair, blue eyes, and odd markings on his cheeks. He couldn't have been more than ten years old, either. He knew some pretty advanced techniques too. His group was just as strong as he was, especially their leader. Anyway, I let my guard down and the kid hit me with that air attack that got me pretty good as you can see. The mission was a success, so the Raikage doesn't have to worry about that spy anymore…I guess it's a mission complete." Kakashi said as he finished up his report. The Third Hokage puffed his pipe behind his desk. The Raikage himself had asked that Konoha assassinate the spy in his village due to the fact he didn't know who in his forces he could trust. This development that another ninja team had been sent to kill him as well was disturbing to the aged Hokage.

"Very well, Kakashi. I suppose we will just have to watch this development more." he said as he shuffled through some files. Kakashi turned to walk out of the office when he hesitated.

"Hokage-sama…are you certain the Kyuubi vessel was killed?" the man asked without turning around. The question caught the old man off-guard. He thought for a moment before answering in a low voice.

"…yes." was the sad answer. Kakashi nodded before heading out of the office. _Naruto…I'll have to watch out for him in the future…now, back to Icha Icha goodness!_ Kakashi smiled as he reached for his Icha pocket...and found a hole...his eye was twiching uncontrolably as he fumbled around his uniform for his precious book. _Hmmm...I must have dropped it..._

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

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_

Yes, I know this chapter sucks, it's really just a filler chapter anyway. Next one is the founding of Hidden Sound and Orochimaru has a 'special' present for Naruto's class before the battle begins. Next Chapter: "The Sound Six; Demons That Walk the Earth"

_**---------------  
Jutsu List  
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_**Gekiha Oshi no Jutsu(Crushing Pressure Skill)**_  
Makes the air around the target denser. While it takes concentration to do, it is a way to silently kill a target by crushing their lungs.

_**Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu(Earth Type: Inner Decapitation Skill)**_  
Yes, Kakashi used this to catch Naruto in this chapter.


	5. Sound Six: Demons that Walk the Earth

Ack! You people are going to kill me for updating this story instead of "Bushido no Jutsu" again…oh well, I'll get around to that story soon enough, I have too many ideas for this one to quit now! After that last filler chapter, I feel the need to make this one my best ever, enjoy.

_Thoughts are in Italics. _

**"Summoned animal talk is in bold." **

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did Ino would be queen of the world…right next to Tayuya, of course…

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**Chapter 5: ****The Sound Six; Demons That Walk the Earth**

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The Snake's Den was bristling with activity today. All the ninja under the Snake Sannin were called in from their various assignments from all over the world: Spies, assassins, scouts, even Kabuto was called back in for awhile. An enormous operation was taking place, all the ninja knew it. After three years of mission experience, the newest generation of ninja was finally ready to be pushed into the spotlight. Kimimaro, Jiroubou, Kidoumaru, Sakon (and Ukon), Tayuya and Naruto were all called into the throne room of Orochimaru for a mission briefing. They had all grown; gone were the naive seven year olds that he had found clinging to the fringes of life, now they were his soldiers. Even though they were still children, they were all extremely powerful, all of them at Chuunin-level. They all stood in more or less the same clothing except for the spiky-haired boy standing beside Tayuya. He still wore his dark purple pants, red shirt, purple vest, and fox mask hanging at his waist. He no longer wore it all the time, only when he was on assassination missions. Orochimaru looked over them with something akin to pride, Kabuto stood off to the side with several high-level ninja.

"Ah, you're all here, excellent." the Snake Sannin began. "I've asked you all to come so I could brief you on what is going to happen. Tomorrow we head for Rice Country to take over a city there." The group stiffened. It was the first time Orochimaru actively struck out against anyone directly. "We are going to take the place over and found a new Hidden Village, the Hidden Village of Sound. You will all be participating in the fighting, though in what capacity you serve will be based on your answer to my next question…"

"Eh, what's the point, Orochimaru-sama? You know none of us would back out of a fight." asked the white-haired boy as he scratched the back of his neck. Orochimaru cackled.

"Yes, yes. I know that Naruto-kun. What I mean is; this will determine the rest of your lives. I can grant you something that would put you at the top of my forces should you choice to take it. It's something called a 'cursed seal', a forbidden jutsu. It will give you immense power…there is a slight risk to those that take the seal though; there would be a one in ten chance you would die. Kukuku." the sannin said. The group of pre-teens shivered at the laugh and their chances of success.

"Um…just how strong would this make us? I mean, we're pretty powerful now!" Sakon added. Orochimaru nodded.

"Yes, you are all at least at low Chuunin level and that would improve over time but with the seal, you'll each be at high Chuunin if not Jounin level. If you're not convinced, ask Kimimaro, he has the 'Gaia Seal' so he would be a good person to talk to about the power and risk." The group looked over at their sensei with surprise. He calmly lowered his robe and pointed to a pinwheel mark on his chest.

"This…is my cursed seal. It draws all of my chakra to the surface when I use it, although it will leave me drained afterwards. Level one isn't much of a problem and I can hold it for about half an hour, I can only go level two for ten minuets." He then started to activate his seal. Black lines appeared on every visible part of his body. He was starting to look like a human jigsaw puzzle when they all felt the chakra, it was incredible.

"Now, that is the power you can all have, the question is do you have the will not to die?" the Snake Sannin asked. One by one they all agreed to the curse seal with Naruto agreeing first and Tayuya right behind him. "Excellent…now, just don't forget yourselves when you face your own personal demons." he said as his neck grew like a snake from his body. They were all held still by his killing intent that they could not move even if they wanted too. Naruto watched in horror as the sannin bit the necks of each of his classmates, a strange mark appearing on them all. He locked eyes with his leader before giving into the pain as his own seal was bestowed on him…

-----------------

_"Where…the heck am I?" Naruto was floating in an endless sea of white. He looked around in either direction but could only see emptiness. "Is this…my mind?" _

_"Correct." The voice caught Naruto off-guard and he snapped his head to the direction it came from. There, floating with him was a little blonde-haired boy. He was no older than five or six but had an air of mystery around him. _

_"Who are you? What do you what from me?" the older boy asked. He was slightly un-nerved at the whole ordeal. _

_"What do you want for yourself, Naruto?" the little boy asked. "You seek power but do not have a purpose for using it. Why do you seek it if you have no goals or ambition?" _

_"I…don't know…" It was the question he was asked two years ago by Kidoumaru and he still didn't have an answer. "I'm just happy being here with everyone…to…" _

_"…be needed…" the other boy finished. Naruto looked up at the boy with a bit of fear mixed with acknowledgement. "It is good to be needed, Naruto, but one must also need. What do you need? What can you get from power?" _

_"Recognition? Respect? Isn't that what power is supposed to bring you? I want that! I need to have that in my life!" Naruto shouted, the little boy was unfazed. He just continued to stare a hole into Naruto's soul. _

_"You…may have that power. Do with it what you will." Before Naruto could argue with the boy, the whiteness was bleeding out of his vision and once again he found himself passing out…_

_--------------------- _

"..uto! Naruto! Can you hear me?" a worried voice called out. The white-haired boy opened his eyes before wrenching them shut again. He had a massive headache and the loud redhead punching him in the side was not helping things.

"Damn it, Tayuya! Stop hitting me!" Naruto groaned as he sat up. His hands when to his neck to scratch an itch and then he remembered why he had passed out in the first place.

"Hey! Did the seal thing work? Is everyone ok?" he asked. Tayuya smirked and pointed to a mark on her neck.

"You had doubts? Check it out, my own seal!" she said proudly. Naruto looked around, they were in their dorms and he was lying on his bed. He looked over at the other beds and saw the rest of is class groaning. They looked like hell but they were alive. He looked up at the girl leaning over him.

"Well…do you feel any different? I mean are you more powerful?" he asked. She closed her eyes in thought then shook her head.

"Orochimaru-sama said to bring you all to him once you were awake. He'll tell us all about it." she answerd.

"Well then, lets go." The pair turned to look over at the speaker. The rest of the class was sitting up on their beds looking at the two. Sakon chuckled to himself.

"Hey, Tayuya, you sure were over by Naruto for awhile. We were starting to feel neglected over here." the boy snickered. His laughing only increased when the redhead went bright red to match her hair.

"S-Shut up! Damn prick, maybe I should just gut you in your sleep next time! Come on, if you bastards are well enough to crack jokes you can go see Orochimaru-sama!" she said in a huff before storming out of the room. The rest of them broke out into fits of laughter while Naruto blushed and followed the girl.

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"So, you're all awake already? Impressive…" The group was now standing back in Orochimaru's audience room. They had been out for most of the day and the attack would begin in the morning.

"So…how do these seals work?" Kidoumaru asked. He was still sore about the whole experience and was letting his annoyance show. Orochimaru rose from his seat and walked over to the group stopping in front of him. He examined the mark on his neck. It was shaped in the form of a human head only with several eyes.

"You have the 'Skull Seal'. It's a high-level cursed seal, I wasn't expecting that…to answer your question, the seals will activate by themselves for the first time. The reason I gave them to you before the battle was so you would have a good chance to reach level one. Just remember, you can only hold level one for about thirty minutes before you're out of chakra, don't overuse it." the snake sannin said.

"What about that level two thing? How do we activate it?" Sakon asked. Orochimaru moved down to him and examined his mark. It was just like Kidoumaru's, only the head on it had long tusks.

"Ah, the 'Fang Seal', another high-level seal. You all are full of surprises. To answer your question, level two requires a procedure to activate. You won't be able to go through that for another one or two years, so don't worry about it now." Orochimaru said as he moved down to the next child. Jiroubou shifted his weight from foot to foot as he was being inspected. Orochimaru smirked at him. His seal was in the shape of a mountain. "You have the 'Titan Seal'. It's a very powerful seal, Jiroubou-kun."

"Hey! What about Naruto and me?" Tayuya asked. Orochimaru sized up the redhead in front of him and checked her seal. His eyes threatened to bug out of his head.

"….you have the most powerful seal so far. It's as powerful as Kimimaro's 'Gaia Seal'." He said as he looked it over more. It was in the shape of a jagged cross. "It's called the 'Buster Seal', a very rare seal. You'll be one of the most powerful ninja in my force once you master control of it…"

"Hell yeah! Eat that, Naruto! You'll soon be my underling or something." Tayuya declared. Orochimaru cackled at her resolve but stopped dead when he saw Naruto's seal.

"Well…it looks like Naruto is the most powerful member of you class, as I thought." Everyone looked at the white-haired boy as Orochimaru looked at his seal more closely. It looked like a small ring of chains tattooed in black. "It is just like you, Tayuya. He equals you and Kimimaro in power with his 'Hell Seal'. Of course, Kimimaro-kun is more powerful than you now because of his age and experience. Kukuku." Tayuya looked annoyed and Kimimaro was unreadable. Orochimaru motioned for a guard to bring over a scroll and handed it to Jiroubou. "Jiroubou-kun, this is my gift for surviving the seal. It has a very special technique in it that I want you to learn before the battle, can you do that?" Orochimaru grinned when the boy nodded. He then made several hand seals and four huge scrolls popped into existence. Each one was laid out in front of a different student. "These are summoning contracts. They will allow you to summon powerful beings to assist you in battle. I let you sign them now because the cursed seal will give you enough power to summon something useful. Sakon-kun, when you sign yours you will be able to summon my ultimate defense. You have the summoning contract for the 'Gate of Rashoumon'." The boy smiled and wrote his name on the scroll. "Kidoumaru-kun, you have the summoning contract with spiders, I thought that would suite you best."

"Yeah! My dad used to have this; I thought the scroll was lost with the clan. Thank you Orochimaru-sama!" the boy happily declared as he signed the scroll in blood. Orochimaru cackled.

"Tayuya-chan, you have a special scroll. It will allow you to summon ether spirits to aid you. You have to have a medium to control them; that's why not many people can use them. I think your musical talent will work, though. Be sure to practice with them after the battle." he said as she smiled and signed the scroll. The Snake Sannin then walked over to Naruto who was studying his scroll.

"Orochimaru-sama, your name is on this one." he said as he looked over the past signers of the scroll. A person named 'Anko' was right after his.

"Kukuku. Yes, that is my personal scroll. It is a summoning contract with snakes." The Sannin explained. Naruto shrugged and signed the scroll 'Torajikku Naruto' in blood and rolled it back up. Orochimaru made some hand seals and the scrolls disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "Excellent. You all should go down to assemble with the rest of the ninja; the attack begins in a few hours." He waited until they all filed out of the room before he turned to Kabuto. "They all survived the seal…"

"Hai. I was surprised as well. Who would have thought we would have talent equal to Kimimaro in that group? Tayuya and Naruto…they should be put on a team together when we found Hidden Sound. I wonder though…when Naruto tries to summon, it could be troublesome if he gets Manda-sama. You know how he is when he's summoned." Kabuto said in a worried voice. Orochimaru shuddered at the mention of the master snake.

"Yes…Manda could be a problem. Even I don't summon him unless it's absolutely necessary. I don't think he'll have enough chakra to summon him first try though; it will be troublesome once he reaches his level two seal, he'll be able to do it then. We'll worry about this after the attack, let's get down there and move out." the sannin said as he walked out of the room with Kabuto in toe.

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It was early morning when they struck. Rice Country was not home to any Hidden Village, but that's why missing-nin would flock there. Ninja from every Hidden Village in the world were represented there. Sand, Leaf, Cloud, and Mist, the missing-nin from the major villages were flocking together; an army to fight an army. Orochimaru's group of ninja was arrayed in battle lines with excellent leadership, only they were few. The missing-nin fighting to keep Rice Country free of a Hidden Village were many but had little or no higher command structure. The ninja from the major villages were drawn into lines and had commanders and sub-commanders, but no one had direct control over all the missing-nins. The 'Sound Six' as Orochimaru had come to call Naruto's class was an elite unit inside the Sound Army. They were the focus of legends and curses inside of the missing-nin army. They were said to be demons that could destroy entire towns. What the enemy didn't know is that these were cleverly placed rumors conjured up by the Snake Sannin to give his army the moral edge. He had no doubt that bodyguards wouldn't live up to his expectations, however. On the third day of the stand-off, Orochimaru decided the time was right for the attack, his Sound Six rushed off to the battle for their future… 

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**_"Zankuuha!"_** With the push of air pressure several bandits were sent flying back into their ranks. The white-haired demon in a fox mask was carving through their lines with his powerful jutsu's. He had already punched a hole in their front line group with his unique air jutsu and the Sound Forces were pouring in. The rock-nin leader was throwing mercenaries and bandits at him and he was cutting them to pieces. His reserve line was comprised mainly of Genin-level ninja with Chuunin commanders. They had bought off bandits and mercenaries when they saw the hundred or so enemy ninja that were trying to take over Rice Country. The major leaders had decided to overwhelm them with as many men as they could muster in short notice. He had heard of the 'Sound Six' but unlike his men, he wasn't one to buy into rumors. What he was seeing now was a competent Genin at best, nothing to be worried about.

"Send a Chuunin to deal with that rat." the missing-nin called out to his staff. One of them bowed and ran off to the reserve lines. He found a unit commander and explained the situation.

"So…that's one of the Sound Six? No problem at all, leave it to me." the missing-nin said as he headed off towards the lines.

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"Man, these guys are weak! I thought there were some ninja here?" the fox-masked boy said as he finished filleting another bandit. The majority of enemies were staying away from him and he had to look for a fight. The Sound Force was doing well, overall. _The Leaf missing-nin ranks were putting up somewhat of a fight, but Tayuya was over there so it shouldn't be that much of a problem. Now I just need to find a good opponent so I can get my 'Hell Seal' to activate…oh, there is the perfect patsy now._ Naruto grinned behind his mask. Before him was an opponent at least at Chuunin level and he looked like he wanted a fight.

"So, you missing-nin finally decided to put up a good fight, eh?" he taunted. To his surprise the man laughed. Fuming, Naruto tossed a kunai at him which was plucked out of the air.

"You're one of the infamous 'Sound Six'? You're only a Genin with a few tricks and a fancy blood limit. You can't beat a seasoned ninja like me, better go back to whomever is leading your pathetic army and tell him to send out a real ninja." the man said as he twirled the kunai in one finger. Naruto was seething behind his mask. The seal on his neck was starting to burn but that was ignored for the time being. He rushed the man and tried to land a quick kick to his midsection. The rock-nin stopped the boy's knee and batted him away with a backhand. Naruto skidded along the ground until he pushed up with his hand and somersaulted into a standing position. A trickle of blood was flowing off his face from under the mask. Naruto forced himself to calm down and started doing hand seals.

**_"Raikou Tokkan no Jutsu!"_** The rock-nin quickly started seals of his own while the fox-ninja gathered electrical energy for his attack.

_**"Doton: Doryuheki!"** _A wall of earth shot up in front of the enemy ninja. Naruto's lighting attack was absorbed by the earth barrier. The ninja behind the wall chuckled at the effort. "Kid, you should know better than to try a lightning jutsu on a rock-nin. You're even less than a Genin, right? How pathetic." The enemy nin rushed out from behind the wall towards the bewildered Naruto. The boy put up a defense that was easily overcome by the Chuunin. A swift chop to the back of his neck was threatening to send Naruto into unconsciousness. _No…is this the limit to my power? I won't allow it! Come on you stupid seal, you're going to work for me!_

"Ha, such weak trash Sound has." the Chuunin said as he started to walk away. He stopped dead in his tracks when a wave of dark chakra hit him. The killing intent being directed at him was immense. He slowly turned around and stared wide-eyed at the downed boy. He was ridged and his mask was off revealing a glowing seal on his neck. Dark waves were radiating from his body and ninja fighting all around him stopped to watch the sight. Small, black chains radiated from the seal. They snaked their way around all the visible skin on the boy. The boy blinked and looked at his hand; he smiled and turned towards the Chuunin with his cold blue eyes.

"So, this is the power of the 'Hell Seal'? Excellent, this is the power to make my dreams come true. Now…let's kick this off, shall we?" the boy said as he bit his thumb. The blood dripped off his hand and the ninja's around him were left wondering what was going on. _Let's see if this summoning thing will work…_

"W-W-what are you?-!" the Chuunin asked as he stepped back. He was held in place by a glare from the boy. Naruto smiled and started going through seals, the then slammed his bloody hand on the ground as small runes appeared out from his hand littering the ground.

_**"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"** _The ninja all watched in awe as a great cloud of smoke erupted on the battlefield obscuring the battle. From the command post for the Sound's forces, Orochimaru smiled as he watched the plume of smoke.

"Ah…he summoned Kazangan on his first try…amazing, Naruto-kun." Orochimaru stated as he watched a massive red serpent rise from the smoke. Smoke was bellowing from its nostrils and the sannin could just make out a figure standing on top of its head. "Looks like Naruto-kun was the first to activate his seal; now the battle is ours…kukuku…" The sannin face faulted when he watched the figure standing on the snake stomp it's foot, kicking the great reptile. "What…is he doing?"

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"What the hell do you mean you won't do anything! I summoned you so you gotta do what I tell you!" the boy yelled as he stomped on the creatures head.

**"Ignorant human! I haven't been used in years and I refuse to help someone as weak as yourself."** the mammoth serpent hissed. Naruto was about to burst a vein in his forehead.

"What the hell! I had enough power to summon you, isn't that enough?-!" he fumed. "Just what do you want me to do!"

**"Hmmm…kill the one you were fighting before you summoned me and I might consider it. That is the sacrifice I require for my help. Should you be able to do that, I'll help you whenever you call."** the snake said as he flicked the boy off his head. The Chuunin was now starting to get back his nerve at hearing the giant animal wasn't going to help. The war went back into full swing around them as the shock of seeing a summon animal wore off.

"Tch, fine! Lousy snake, I should just make you into a pair of boots…" the boy mumbled as he started doing seals. The Chuunin saw this and started to laugh.

"Ha, you couldn't beat me before so what makes you think you can beat me now? Just because you have some tattoos and a giant snake doesn't mean you'll beat me! In fact---urk!" he was cut off by his lungs contracting. The white-haired boy was grinning as he held a seal. The air around the man was contracting and he was finding it impossible to breath."W-w-w-what…did…you…d-do…" he managed to get out.

"Oh, nothing much; just a special jutsu I learned. It's called** '**_Gekiha Oshi no Jutsu'_. Your lungs should be burning right now, in a few moments they'll implode under the pressure of the air around you. This is actually the first time I have gotten it to work right, guess I have enough chakra to use it at its max power." the boy said in monotone as he tightened the seal. The man's chest was starting to collapse in on itself but he managed to croak out a few more words.

"Who……t-the hell….a-a-are you…?" he asked as he collapsed to his knees.

"A demon of the Sound Six and your death; now, meet your comrades in the afterlife." Naruto answered before the man's chest collapsed and he fell over dead. Naruto turned to look up at the massive red snake looking down at him. "Well? Good enough?"

**"Yes. I'll accept your sacrifice and will now be your personal summon animal. No other snake user shall be able to call me; I only come to aid you and your clan. This is the word of the serpent of fire, Kazangan."** the serpent stated as Naruto chakra-walked up to its head.

"Well, I don't have a clan but thanks. Now, let's go wild!" the tattooed boy yelled from his perch on the snakes head.

**"Yes, lets."** the summoned snake hissed as he dove into the enemy lines…

-----------------------

"What the hell is that!" a redhead exclaimed as she fought off a group of missing-nin. "That is the biggest snake I've ever seen in my life!" Tayuya had joined with the group of Sound ninja that were assaulting the Hidden Leaf missing-nin. She was using Genjutsu combos when a large chakra force erupted from over by the Rock-nin lines. Several moments later a giant red snake appeared from a cloud of smoke. "Damn! Naruto is that strong?-! I won't let him have all the credit." she declared as she crushed the Adams apple of a random bandit with her flute.

"Tayuya-san, we have to pull back to wait for stronger forces! We can't beat the missing-nin in this sector!" one of the sound-nins yelled before retreating. Tayuya felt her blood boil. _No way in hell I'm going to be saved by someone else! If this bastard seal won't work on its own, I'll force it too! _She started to pour chakra into the seal on her neck. The cross started to glow as if it was fighting the outside influence. _Why won't this thing activate? It's supposed to give us power!_ She ignored the pain surging through her body as she pushed all of her chakra into the seal. She didn't even notice the ninja rushing towards her with his katana drawn. _WORK YOU DAMNED PIECE OF SHIT SEAL!_

"Tayuya-san!" a ninja called out as he saw the missing-nin heave his sword down at the young girls' head. It sailed towards its target and the sound-nin wrenched his eyes shut not wanting to see the young girl get beheaded.

"You bitch! What the hell did you do!" the sound-nin heard. He eased open his eyes and almost fell over. The young girl was tattooed from head to foot in black lightning marks. They were running all over her skin and she was emitting a dark chakra; the ninja's katana was held by her flute.

"Now this is what I expected!" the girl exclaimed as she whipped out a kunai with her free hand and sliced the leaf missing-nin's throat open. "Come on you cowards! We can win now!" she yelled back to the retreating ninja. "Give me some time and I'll crush them all!" The fire in her eyes gave the men hope as they formed a ring around the cursed girl. She bit her thumb and pounded the ground.**_"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" _**

"W-What is that!" one of the enemies yelled. From the smoke a giant warrior with a club stepped out.

"Hn, so this is the phantom summoning Orochimaru-sama was talking about…guess I gotta program the guy with a song like he said." she mumbled before bringing her flute to her lips. The melody that floated out was calm and serene; enemy and allies alike listened to it. The giant lurched forward as the song went on. With a sudden burst of speed the creature tore into the enemy lines, taking out leaf missing-nin with every swipe of its club. "Now the fun really starts! Listen to the 'Phantom Melody' and it will be the last thing you hear!" she shouted as the massive summoned monster led the other Sound-nin into battle…

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"Orochimaru-sama…the enemy has retreated into the main city of Rice Country. They are ill-equipped for a siege and will most-likely surrender if you made a show of force. Lord Kazangan brought the Sound Six back from the battle. It appears all of them reached level one status, but Naruto and Tayuya managed to get complete control over their seals…" Kabuto said as he watched the massive fire snake disappear in a cloud of smoke. Orochimaru leaned back in his chair deep in thought.

"This…is an unexpected development. They managed to overpower the side effects of the seal? Do you know how much force of will that takes? This means I can't control them even if they reach level two."

"Should I deal with them while they sleep? They are both completely exhausted from chakra depletion that I can kill them effortlessly." Kabuto suggested.

"…no. They are my most loyal servants; I don't think they will betray me. Besides, even if they do have control over their seals they can't beat me in a fight. The others waited for the seal to operate on its own, correct? That ensures the command jutsu had time to filter throughout their minds. If they don't overpower the seal in the earliest stage of infection, they can never power out of my influence so they are now my pawns forever. I will rely on the power of the other four members of the Sound Six to keep the two in line. For now, let them rest; I have a city to claim." the snake sannin said as he put on his wide-brimmed hat. He walked out of the command tent with Kabuto and summoned a large snake to lead them to the frontlines to claim his prize…

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The operation went off without a hitch. The efforts of the Sound Six ensured a quick victory over the forces of the missing-nin inhabiting Rice Country. Orochimaru convinced the forces in the city to surrender and be absorbed into his force. With but a show of force from one of his massive serpents they capitulated to his demands. Hidden Sound came into existence with the Sannin Otokage at its helm. Naruto and the rest of the Sound Six were hailed as heroes of the battle and quickly grew in fame as the elite bodyguards of the Otokage. Two years passed before the restoration of Hidden Sound was complete. Orochimaru's force was massive for such a new village, missing-nins flocked to him due to his open-door policy. Naruto and Tayuya were both part of the Sound Six, but regularly took on missions as a three man team along with whichever other member would work best. Two years and we find this these two now standing before the Otokage to accept a new assignment…

"So, what is this new mission, Otokage-sama?" asked an older white-haired boy. The Otokage was sitting on his chair holding a piece of paper which he passed to the two sound-nins standing in front of him.

"As you can see, this is a C-Class assassination mission. I know it's below your abilities, but you both deserve a…vacation of sorts. The official objective is to assassinate that man, but I'll leave the actual results up to you two. Really, I just want to give you a chance to get out of the village. You've been working non-stop for the last two years. Enjoy life, kukuku." the Snake Sannin cackled.

"A vacation! All right, I needed one! How about you, Tayuya?" the boy asked as he jumped up and down. The redhead cracked him in the back of his head with her flute.

"Idiot! Show some restraint in Otokage-sama's presence!" she huffed. _Of course, a vacation would be nice…_ "Uh, what about the others? I mean, they have worked hard too." she added.

"They have to come with me while I visit Hidden Sand. It isn't a job that requires all of your assistance so you get to take some time off. Wave Country is nice this time of year." Orochimaru said.

"Eh, I guess. You sure you won't need us, Otokage-sama?" the boy asked after he calmed down.

"Yes, Naruto-kun. I'm quite sure. Now, you are both dismissed." He waved them both off. Once they were out of the audience chamber, he started to cackle like only he could. "Now the pieces are in place. Hidden Leaf will fall and no one, not even those two, can get in my way." _It's unfortunate; I could have used them to assassinate the Kazekage but with their control over their seals, I have to make sure everyone is loyal. They are even a bigger threat now that they have the potential to reach level two status…it's a good thing they haven't been able to use it yet or they might have to be removed… _

Unaware of the plotting, the pair of elite guards walk towards the gates of Hidden Sound.

"So, who is that guy we're supposed to kill again? I still want to complete the mission even if it is a vacation." Naruto asked. Tayuya took a look at the mission report and flipped though some pages.

"The mission was sent by some prick named Gatou. He has some missing-nin working on it, but he wants us to make sure it gets done. The unlucky bastards' name is…Tazuna and he's gone to Konoha to hire some bodyguards…sounds like fun!" the girl smirked.

"Yeah, it'll be a good chance to see how much my dear old village has grown…" the boy said as he grinned. The two gathered their equipment and headed out towards Wave County, both having an idea of what kind of 'vacation' they wanted...

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Ha! I love this chapter. Next time, "The Winds of Change". Wonder what's going to happen? 

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Justu List!  
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_**Raikou Tokkan no Jutsu(Lightning Rush Skill)**_  
User gathers energy in his palm and fires it at his opponent, low-level Thunder skill.

_**Doton: Doryuheki**_  
Wall made of earth. Can block most attacks and stop lightning attacks all together. Chuunin-level.

_**Kuchiyose no Jutsu( Summoning Skill)**_  
Summons a animal to fight along side of a ninja. Size and power of the beast is relative to the chakra used.


	6. Walking the Line

Damn it, more writing time on this story…I've really gotta update Bushido no Jutsu. Anyway, enjoy this latest offering! I love this chapter so much, enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, Lee would be the ruler of the world.

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**Chapter 6: Walking the Line** **

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**

"Kakashi-sensei, when are we going to get to Wave Country?" asked an annoyed pink-haired girl. She was walking beside a boy with an oversized shirt and a blonde with a long ponytail. Their sensei, the famous Copy-nin Kakashi, was walking at the end of the procession. His team had just been given a C-Class mission by the Hokage after weeks of easy-going D-Class missions, which Kakashi loved. He could just sit around and read 'Icha Icha Paradise' while his charges did all the work, now he was forced to act responsible, he shivered at this implication.

"In a few hours, Sakura." the Jounin replied. The Uchiha was just as annoying in his own way. He might not be as whiny as the Haruno girl, but he was stuck-up. Their third member, the ever annoying Yamanaka Ino, was worse than both of the others put together. Always going off about Sasuke and getting into fights with Sakura. _I never would have passed them if they didn't work so well together when push comes to shove. Of course, those two argue so much one might get the idea there was something a bit more than a friendship there…NO! Bad Kakashi! _He shook the idea out of his head.

"Are you sure these brats are going to be able to protect me?" asked the old man between Kakashi and his students. Ah yes, his client the famous bridge builder. The foul-tempered Tazuna was all too keen on pointing out the short-comings of his team. Ino had almost pounded him flat the first day of travel.

"Well, they are Genin but I'm a Jounin, there shouldn't be that much of a problem that I can't deal with it." Kakashi said as he flipped the page in his book. The group was almost at the boarder of Wave Country; the sooner this mission was over, the sooner Kakashi could get back to doing D-Class missions and being lazy. A puddle caught his eye as he passed by it. _Hmmm…odd, I don't remember it raining last night. _As if on queue, the puddle erupted and two ninja wearing Hidden Mist hitai-ate appeared from it. _What a bunch of armatures…_ Before the Genin's could do anything, twin chains wrapped around the oddly calm Jounin and ripped him apart.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Ino screamed. Sasuke was already on the attack nailing one of the ninja with a kick. His partner lashed out with his chain but missed the quick Genin. With a flick of a kunai, the Mist-nin's main weapons were stuck to a tree. They quickly cut the chains and lashed out at the bridge builder with their gauntlets. Sakura and Ino acted as a human shield in front of the elderly man. Just as they were about to hit, they were caught by the one and only Copy Kakashi.

"Well, that was interesting." he said as he tied up the unconscious nin. He turned around to be met with the confused and annoyed stares by his students; he shrugged and pulled out his perverted book. "…what? I used a body substitution jutsu; you didn't really think I'd get caught off-guard that easily, did you? Good work by the way, you all handled yourselves well." He then turned to Tazuna with an annoyed eye. "We need to talk…" The conversation went back and forth between the two men until a loud Ino yelled out something and Sakura took up the argument as well. The stoic Uchiha just shrugged and they all set off yet again. All of this was witnessed by two sets of eyes in the trees. The two figures were suppressing their chakra so the Jounin wouldn't notice them but as he was walking off he looked right at them but did nothing.

"Think he knows we're here?" Getting no response, the redhead poked her companion. "Hey, dumb bastard. Did you hear me?"

"Huh? Oh, probably. He is a Jounin, you know. Thing is, I know all of the people down there…" the boy said as he sighed. _Of all the people, Sakura-chan and Sasuke had to be there. _

"Really? You never talk about your old village, were they your old friends?" she asked. The white-haired boy blinked at her. _What the hell? Tayuya actually saying something to me that didn't revolve around an insult…? _

"Heh, will wonders never cease…" he mumbled as he pulled his trademark fox mask over his face.

"What was that?" Tayuya asked in an annoyed tone.

"Nothing, nothing. Shall we go meet up with Zabuza-san? He's got that nice little ambush planned on the boarder of Wave Country and they are almost there. I think we should alert him to the fact Kakashi is leading the guard force; don't you, Tayuya-chan?" the boy asked as he started to head through the trees.

_Tayuya-chan?-! Where the hell did that come from? _"Er, sure. He'll blow a gasket, that's for sure." she said as he followed. The target they were ghosting frowned under his mask. He knew someone else was there and by the way they acted they were a cut above the Mist-nin he had just disposed of. His team seemed to be blissfully ignorant of the extra eyes upon them.

"Hey, you guys should be more careful." he said nonchalantly. They all turned to him with questioning eyes…with the exception of Sasuke who tried to look disinterested and failed miserably. "Someone else was watching that fight. We'll probably be walking into an ambush of some sort, so stay close to Tazuna, don't leave a hole in your guard. Stay quiet from here on out too. I have a bad feeling about this…" _Why do I get the feeling I know who that was watching us…_

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"So anyway, the Copy-nin Kakashi is leading the force protecting the target. He dealt with your two flunkies easily enough; even his Genin team could have taken them. One of them is an Uchiha, a very powerful ninja, you can't ignore them." reported the masked boy. He and Tayuya were reporting to their superior in this mission, Momochi Zabuza. The missing-nin's eye twitched a bit at the mention of Kakashi as did his second, Haku.

"Kakashi…the bingo book says a great deal about him, I think I can beat him though." the mist-nin stated as he leaned back against a tree. The group was in a clearing by the road the group was sure to use. In just a few moments they would all set out to ambush the group and deal with the bridge builder. "What do you think, Haku?"

"I don't know, Zabuza-san. He is quite famous and that kind of reputation is not without merit. Of course, one of the seven swordsmen of the mist is also not to be underestimated. It would be an interesting match at the very least. With our good…friends…I think we have enough of a force to deal with them." the boy said from behind his mask. Naruto found it a bit unsettling to look into the expression-less face and wondered if that was the feeling others got from looking at him in his fox mask.

"Well, we'll leave Kakashi to you since you seem to be so eager to fight him. Torajikku and me will deal with his Genin team, sound good?" asked Tayuya in an annoyed voice. Zabuza looked over at Haku and nodded. It was understood that outside of Hidden Sound Naruto would be addressed as Torajikku, his family name, to avoid anyone recognizing him.

"We'll attack first; you take care of the bridge builder while Kakashi is distracted. I assume you Sound-nin can take care of yourselves? Haku will be occupied analyzing my fight so don't expect help from him." Zabuza said with a superior tone. It annoyed the hell out of the two elite Sound-nin.

"We can take care of ourselves. You should be careful with Kakashi; he has some weird eye that can cancel jutsu's." Naruto said as he stood up. He waited for Tayuya to head off into the trees to start the attack before turning to go.

"Oh? You've heard of the Sharingan Eye he has? You're more thorough than I thought." the former mist-nin said. The masked boy shook his head.

"I know from personal experience. Tayuya and I have first-hand experience with that thing." Naruto said before leaping off after his teammate, leaving two confused missing-nin to figure out what he meant by that statement.

----------

"Everyone, get down!" Kakashi shouted. At the last moment he felt a surge of chakra from the woods behind him and he reacted. It was a good thing he did since a giant sword flew in the air where his teams' necks had been only a moment before.

"What the hell was that?-!" Sakura yelled from her spot on the ground. She looked up at where the sword had embedded itself in a tree and lost all color. There was a man standing on the sword glaring down at them. He leapt from his perch, grabbing the massive blade as he fell.

"Zabuza of the Mist…how nice of you to drop in. I knew I felt someone watching the fight earlier, didn't expect it to be you…" Kakashi said as he put a hand over his hitai-ate ready to pull it up." The demon of the Mists only laughed.

"You think too much of me, Kakashi. I've been waiting here for a good while for you." Zabuza said as he smirked at the Leaf-nin.

"Then who…?" Kakashi started.

"Oh, that would be us." Kakashi and the other Genin's whirled around to face the new voice. Standing directly in their line of retreat were two ninja with strange hitai-ate. _A musical note? Guess they're from that new Hidden Village…_ One was wearing a familiar fox mask while the other was a redhead glaring at the old bridge builder. Sasuke pulled out a kunai and stood between Tazuna and the new enemies.

"Sensei, you take care of Zabuza and I'll deal with them." Sasuke said as he took up a stance. Ino and Sakura also pulled out various throwing weapons and formed up behind the raven-haired boy. Kakashi nodded and pulled up his hitai-ate, revealing the famous Sharingan. Much to Sasuke's ire, the fox-masked ninja shook his head and laughed.

"Sasuke-kun, there is no way you can beat us." the masked boy said. Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino were shocked. Sasuke glared at him. _How does he know me? _

"So…it's you." Kakashi said in a lazy tone, not taking his eyes off of Zabuza. "Good to see you again, hope you got stronger since our fight at Hidden Cloud." The three Genin's were just wrapping their minds around the revelation that their sensei seemed to know the two ninja standing before them.

"Oh, I did. I do have a war under my belt for experience, you know. Don't' think you'll get me with that Inner Decapitation skill again, Kakashi-san." the boy with the mask said happily. Sakura took a step forward seeing the fox mask the boy was wearing and the fact that he seemed to know Kakashi; that he was wearing a Sound hitai-ate around his waist wasn't registering to her.

"Hey, you're ANBU, right? Help us out here!" she asked of the masked boy. The redhead beside him looked between the two before doubling over with laughter.

"Ha! She thinks we're ANBU! Yeah, we're here to save you alright." she managed to get out between giggles. Naruto sighed and turned to Kakashi.

"Hey, Kakashi, does everyone in Konoha think all ninja that wear masks are ANBU?" the boy asked. Tayuya was just calming herself down at this point while the three Genin stared blankly at the pair.

"Well, that is an ANBU mask you're wearing. I agree though, they do need to drop that habit..." Kakashi said. Zabuza was blinking at the whole situation.

"How the hell do you know these guys, Torajikku?" the mist devil asked.

"Oh, Tayuya and me ran into Kakashi a few years ago on a mission. We fought, he put me in a hole, I got in a sneak attack, and he ran away…you know the drill." Naruto said as he waved his hand. Tayuya rolled her eyes.

"If it wasn't for me you would have died on that mission! I never got a word of thanks either, you ungrateful bastard." she accused.

"If I remember correctly, all you did was use a weak Genjutsu on him that he dispelled. Kidoumaru was the one who chased him off." the masked boy added. He flinched when Tayuya's hand went to her flute. "Of course, he was caught off-guard by your incredible jutsu! That must have been the reason Kidoumaru was able to get the drop on him!"

"Nope, that Genjutsu sucked." Kakashi said as his visible eye curved upwards, indicating a smile. By now Tayuya's seal was starting to glow and Naruto was about to jump out of his skin. _Better change the subject before Tayuya destroys us all! _

"Err…well; I think you guys know we're not ANBU by now, right? We are the elite ninja of Hidden Sound, guard to the Otokage; we're here to support Zabuza-san on his assassination mission. Our target is the bridge builder over there. If you leave now, we won't be forced to kill you." At the sudden change of tone, Kakashi steeled himself and turned to his team.

"Sasuke, Ino, Sakura; you three have to get out of here with Tazuna! Those two are beyond your capabilities!" Sasuke grunted. _No way are these idiots better than me! _He started to gather chakra then turned back to the konoichi.

"You two; look after Tazuna while I deal with them." he said as he leveled his kunai. Sakura looked hesitantly between Sasuke and the two sound-nin.

"Sasuke-kun, it's two against one, we should help!" she said. Naruto smirked at the scene. _Ha, same ole Sakura-chan. _

"You two will only slow me down; I can deal with these two idiots myself." Ino and Sakura looked at each other with a questioning, if not hurt, gaze. They sighed and backed away to guard the old man.

"Hah, that cocky bitch seems to think he can beat us, doesn't he?" Tayuya said to her teammate. Naruto shrugged and pointed his palm at the Uchiha.

"Sasuke-teme was always like that. I think I can put him down without killing him…don't know though. You want to use a Genjutsu when I get tired of him?" he asked. Tayuya shrugged.

"Go wild. I'll let you play for a bit." she said. Naruto smiled a foxy grin under his mask before firing his Air Cannon.

**_"Zankuuha!" _**The wave of air hit the Genin's with a force that sent the two girls flying. Sasuke only managed to stay where he was by digging his kunai into the ground. Rocks and dust cut at his face having been whipped up by the mini hurricane. Once the blast tapered out, Sasuke fingered the blood from one of his cuts.

"What the hell was that?-!" he growled. He stole a look back at Kakashi and Zabuza. The latter had been caught in the effects of the blast and had his sword ripped from his grasp by the winds. He caught the look at Kakashi's face and saw his left eye. _The Sharingan! Why does Kakashi have it?_ Before he could think of it any longer, a kick from Naruto sent him flying and averted his attention back to the masked-nin.

"You should really keep your mind on the fight. Not very genius-like right now, are you, Sasuke-teme?" the boy said in a mocking tone. Sasuke glared at him and started doing hand seals.

_**"Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"** _The fireball rushed towards the white-haired boy and he just barley dodged. Behind him, Tayuya flinched. The Uchiha rushed in after his attack and started to fight with Taijutsu. Naruto and Sasuke proved to be equal as they danced around kicking and punching. The redhead sighed and started doing hand seals. Off to the side, Tazuna's bodyguards were having a little chat.

"How does that guy know Sasuke?" Ino whispered to her teammate. Sakura studied the two before shrugging.

"I have no idea. What I don't get is how they know Kakashi-sensei. If they really fought him and lived to talk about it, they must be really good. I've never heard of Hidden Sound, but if they are the elite guards of a Kage-Class ninja I don't want to have to fight them. That guy with the mask has a blood limit, I think. He didn't use any seals for that wind jutsu." the pink-haired konoichi answered back. Ino was watching the fight between Kakashi and Zabuza. The Mist-nin was using water clones to attack the copy-nin. The clones were easily dispatched, but Zabuza didn't seem to mind, in fact he was grinning. It was then Ino realized what was happening; Zabuza had switched places with one of his clones to catch Kakashi off-guard. The surprising strength the 'clone' used was enough to send the Leaf-nin into the nearby lake. Just as fast, he was caught.

_**"Suirou no Jutsu!" **_A orb of water surrounded the Sharingan user and he was trapped. Ino and Sakura were on the point of panicking. They looked over at the fight between Naruto and Sasuke and were shocked to see the Uchiha clawing madly at the air around him, screaming bloody murder.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned. Kakashi immediately saw through the Genjutsu placed on him with the use of the Sharingan.

"It's a Genjutsu! That girl is holding him; Sakura, Ino, you two have got to get out of here with Tazuna!" Kakashi called from his prison. The two girls watched in horror as the fox-masked ninja approached them.

"Ino," Sakura whispered, "We've got to get Kakashi-sensei out of that jutsu so he can beat that masked kid. Use _Shintenshin no Jutsu _on Zabuza while I hold this guy off, ok?" Ino nodded. She started going through the hand seals as Sakura charged the white-haired boy. Dodging kunai strikes and punches, he didn't see what the girl had planned until it was too late.

_**"Shintenshin no Jutsu!"** _Ino's body went limp. Zabuza flinched then canceled his water prison jutsu to the surprise of the two Sound elites. Kakashi was now free and calmly walked over to the pair as Naruto and Sakura stopped fighting with the latter running over to the side of the soul-less body of Ino. Kakashi took a look back at Zabuza/Ino who was still standing on the bank of the lake. _I only have a few minutes until Ino loses control over Zabuza…better get this over with. _

"Sakura! Go with Sasuke and help get Ino's body out of here. I'll hold these two off. Miss, I suggest you cancel that jutsu you have on Sasuke." Kakashi ordered in a lazy-but-firm voice. Tayuya scowled and was on the verge of activating her cursed seal when Naruto waved her off.

"Fine, but let Zabuza go. If you don't…" Naruto let the threat hang. Kakashi shook his head.

"Once my team is gone, then Ino will release him." Kakashi countered. Time was running out for the Copy-nin, he could feel Ino's charka draining and knew she couldn't last much longer. Naruto looked back at the girl before nodding. Tayuya was about to say something when Naruto took off his mask and stared at her with a pleading look in his blue eyes. She sighed and released the Genjutsu. Sasuke, who until now had been flailing around like an idiot, blinked at his surroundings before shooting a glare at the redhead.

"You…" he hissed. He was about to charge the girl when Kakashi barked at him.

"Saskuke! Get Ino and Sakura, and then getTazuna out of here. I'll hold these guys off, understand?" Sasuke growled but complied. Gathering up the konoichi, the trio made their way down the road towards the main city of Wave Country. Once they were out of range, the jutsu on Zabuza broke down and he was granted control over his body once again.

"Now…what are we going to do? It's three vs. one now, not even you can deal with those odds." Naruto said in a matter-of-fact tone. Kakashi actually smirked and pulled his hitai-ate down over his eye. His chakra was almost gone and Zabuza recognized this. He retrieved his massive sword but was waved off by Naruto before he could cut the Leaf-nin in half.

"No, I think we'll let him live today." the boy said. Tayuya looked over at him with a confused expression.

"Why? We have our mission, dumb ass." she would have said more if Naruto hadn't have cut her off.

"Otokage-sama told us that the mission objective was up to us, right? Well, I want to have a decent vacation so I'm done chasing these losers. I think I'll whole up in a nice hotel and spend the week at the local hot springs! It's just the thing for us, don't you think?" the boy said with fake enthusiasm. Tayuya caught onto this and sighed.

"You just don't want to fight your old friends, right? How pathetic." she added with no hostility in her voice. They boy shrugged.

"I just owe them something for the few good memories I have there." he then turned to the copy-nin. "I won't have this debt hanging over my head again; see to it that you train your team better." Kakashi nodded and started off at a slow pace. Zabuza looked like he was about to blow a fuse. Naruto noticed this and tried to calm the man. "Eh, you lost to them once, Zabuza-san! You can use the time to train or something, they aren't going anywhere, right? Catch up to them on the bridge or…something." the tone the boy ended the sentence on wasn't lost on the missing-nin. He scowled and leapt off into the trees. _Probably going to have a talk with Haku; Kakashi's going to have his hands full now. _

"Hey, Naruto." The boy turned upon hearing his name. Kakashi was looking back at him from down the road. "…thanks." The masked boy snorted.

"I'm just doing this to clear my debt with my old village. Don't get any ideas about me helping you on this mission, if Zabuza kills you he kills you; you get no help from me, got it? Me and Tayuya will be enjoying our vacation, so don't bother us." he said in little more than a snarl. His frustration only increased when Kakashi's eye curved upwards into a smile as he turned to walk away. "…annoying bastard…" he mumbled. The redhead walked up beside him and unceremoniously bashed him in the back of his head with her instrument.

"YOU IDIOT! How the hell are you going to explain this to Otokage-sama! We had a mission, you know. Even if he was less-than-enthusiastic about completing it, it's still a bad mark on our reputation if they live." she huffed.

"Owie…Tayuya-chan, think! If this country gets rich again, what hidden village will they send missions to? Showing a bit of kindness today will make us a lot of money tomorrow." he justified; his companion was not convinced but she seemed to accept it for the sake of an argument.

"Tch, fine, but you owe me for this, though! You said we're on vacation and you are damn-well going to take me on one! Let's go find a nice hotel then we can shop! Oh! I want a nice dinner too! The hot springs would be good…" Tayuya rambled on as the pair walked towards the main city of Wave County. Naruto tried his best to tune out his companion, but as always, he was unsuccessful…

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I like this chapter for some reason. Anyway, it's a short one because the next one will be fluff between Naruto and Tayuya. I love fluff even if I've never wrote it before! The next chapter will be delayed since I'll be working on the new chapter of Bushido no Jutsu, so don't expect an update for a few days, sorry! See you then! Also, what do you guys think of a Sakura/Ino pairing? I just want Sasuke to suffer by not having any fangirls; plus they seem to have some sort of bond other than friendship in the manga...lemme hear your thoughts. 


	7. Devils and Demons

Yo! New chapter of Sounding in the Dark for you guys. It has been a long time between updates, huh? Sorry about that. I have such a short attention span that I start projects and then put them down then come back to them…I've really got to stop that, lol. Oh, I can't remember how Tsunami's personality was so I wrote her like Kasumi in Ranma1/2. Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…darn, I can't think of anything witty to add…

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**Chapter 7: Devils and Demons**

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"Ok, what dumb ass thought it was such a great idea to vacation here? This place is dirt poor!" a familiar redhead moaned as she and a white-haired boy walked down the main street inside of Wave Country.

"Tayuya-chan, it was Otokage-sama that decided we should come here. Do you really want him to know you think he's a dumb ass?" the boy said in a tone that said he was joking. The girl shot him a withering glare that quickly shut him up.

"There's got to be something to do here! We should have played around with those dumb pricks back there, but nooooo…you just had to go get a freaking conscience! Why the hell did you do that?" she asked. The boy decided to answer her question so as to avoid physical harm.

"Uh, well…it's complicated. Back in Konoha I liked very much for some reason. Really, my only good memories from there were from my first year at the academy. I can't really blame them for how I was treated by the adults. The time I've spent with Otokage-sama, Kabuto-kun, Kidoumaru, Jiroubou, Sakon, Ukon, and even Kimimaro-sensei…it's been the most fun I've had in my life." Naruto said as he smiled. Tayuya looked at him and poked his side.

"What about me!-?" she yelled. She was reaching for her flute when the boy looked over at her with a smirk.

"Well, you've been bad-mouthing me since day one; always hitting me with that damn flute, taking the spotlight off me, and making my life a living hell." the boy said as he grinned. Growing thoughtful for a moment, he shifted his gaze to his feet before continuing. "…but, you've been the best friend I've ever had and…I don't want to imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn't have met you." The redhead stopped in the middle of the street. Naruto blinked at Tayuya's actions as she looked down at the ground. After a few moments, he waved his hand in front of her face to get her attention. "Hello? Tayuya-chan, are you ok?" She seemed to snap out of her thoughts and quickly turned away from him.

"Y-y-you idiot, don't say those kinds of things out in public, people might get the wrong idea! What the hell was with all that anyway? You've been nothing but a pain in my ass for five years, you know that!" she said, still not looking at him.

"Heh, it's so much fun to get on your nerves though; it makes life interesting." he replied with his trademark fox grin. He mulled over an idea for a moment before deciding to speak again. "Hey! Why don't we go see about getting dinner and a place to stay? I'm sure we can find some sort of decent hotel around here somewhere." Naruto suggested as he started to walk off. Tayuya nodded and turned around to follow; all the while hoping that the boy didn't notice her faint blush as she walked after him down the street.

**_/-/-/-/-/-/-/_**

A trio of kids followed two adults down the bare streets of Wave County. The adults chatted with each other and two of the children talked happily but one lingered behind the group. The young boy had his hands in the pockets of his shorts with a deep scowl on his face. One of the adults noticed him and slowed his pace so he would end up beside the youth. The other two children noticed this and started to hand back as well.

"Well…you seem to be more detached than usual, Sasuke." the masked man replied in an off-handed way that he hoped wouldn't sound like he was prying.

"Hn." was the only reply he got as the boy's scowl deepened.

"Hmm…well, if I didn't know better I'd say you were upset about that fight back there." When the boy tensed up, the Jounin knew he hit the mark. "Don't let it bother you too much. If Zabuza really got going he would give even me a hard time."

"It wasn't Zabuza that's the problem and you know it!" the boy shouted. The two girls seemed to be taken back by his outburst. "Who were they? You seemed to know them." Kakashi sighed and put away his perverted book; he knew this was going to come up. The inquisitive looks from his other two students didn't help either.

"Well…I ran into the boy during a mission to Lightning Country back when I was still in ANBU a few years ago." His students remained silent so he took this as a sign he had their attention. "I was on a mission for the Raikage to eliminate a spy. Since he didn't know how far the spy network when, he had to ask another village to send in a ninja to deal with the traitor. I was about to carry out the kill when that boy showed up with the same intention. He was a bit clumsy and hot-headed and demanded to know who I was. I, like you guys, thought he was an ANBU member at first because of his mask. When started acting suspicious I asked him some direct questions and he took off after blasting me with that air attack so I chased him down. When I caught up to him I captured him and got a tiny bit of information from him but his teammates, one of which was that girl with him, attacked me; I retreated and haven't seen him since." The others seemed to absorb this before Sakura had a question.

"Well, how strong are those two?" she asked. Kakashi thought for a moment. _That girl used a high-level Genjutsu; it was one even I've never even seen before. Where did she get that much power from? _The Jounin shook out of his daze long enough to answer his student.

"Um…about mid-Chuunin level if they really got going…I think. They did say they were elite guards after all." he responded. _Guards of a Kage-level ninja should have more power than that…they were probably only showing the barest minimum of what they were capable of.   
_

"Mid-Chuunin?-! But that girl couldn't have been much older than we are how can they be that strong?" Ino asked. Noting the feral look on Sasuke's face, she hovered close to Sakura.

"Well, there are some kids in this world who are younger than you guys but stronger than me; remember that before you pick a fight with someone who looks harmless." the man said as he glanced at Sasuke. Said Uchiha only grunted and walked past the trio. Kakashi turned to the two girls and shrugged while they looked at each other in hurt and resignation.

"Hey! Don't be so down, we're almost to my house. My daughter, Tsunami, will cook you all something nice for dinner." the old bridge builder exclaimed to try and lighten the mood. Sasuke only grunted again while the rest nodded and headed to Tazuna's house and the food therein.

As the trio entered the home, Tazuna called out to the inhabitants. A little boy poked his head from the kitchen and muttered a greeting while a beautiful woman walked out to formally greet the ninja with a genuine smile.

"Hello, you must be the ninja my father hired from Konoha." the woman stated. Tazuna nodded and she led the group into the dinning room where she had tea set out. She quickly darted back into the kitchen and produced five more cups for her father and the ninja. "I was expecting you to be back sooner, dad. I hope nothing happened?"

"Ah, we ran into some trouble but these fine ninja took care of it! You should have seen them; they are defiantly worth the price!" the elderly bridge builder exclaimed. Ino had a proud look on her face while Sakura blushed at the compliments; Sasuke only scowled at his glass of tea as if it was a mortal enemy taunting his very existence.

"Oh dear; did anyone get hurt?" Tsunami asked with a bit of worry as she looked from one person to the next trying to notice any injuries. While Kakashi and Tazuna were being fussed over by a worried Tsunami, Ino and Sakura were watching the moody Uchiha.

"Why is he so mad at his tea?" the pink-haired konoichi asked her blonde teammate. Ino scratched her neck as she looked the brooding boy over. He seemed totally oblivious to the world around him and content to scowl at a tea-cup.

"I have **no **idea. It's still cute though…right?" she asked as she watched the boy tense up and curl a fist at the cup. Sakura's eye twitched at this and unconsiously scooted over closer to Ino.

"Uh…it's more scary than cute right now. He was really mad earlier though. I guess he was embarrassed about getting beat by that girl…kinda sexist when you think about it…" Ino said as she tilted her head in thought while Sakura nodded her head in agreement.

"Well, I guess you guys are hungry, right? I'll go start dinner with Inari." the kind woman said once she was confident no one was hurt. She picked up the empty tea cups, with the exception of the one Sasuke was glaring at, and headed off to the kitchen.

"So, what did you guys think of your first real ninja battle?" Kakashi asked. "You all did well; I doubt we would have made it out of there without Ino's well-timed jutsu. Sakura and you came up with a very good strategy, Ino." The two konoichi smiled gratefully and smiled at each other. Sasuke grunted and finally took a drink of his tea having lost the glaring match with the inanimate object.

"…well, anyway, we still need to train before we go against Zabuza again. He's still around, you know." Kakashi added, making sure to stay away from Sasuke's loss. The Uchiha shifted his narrow eyes up at his instructor.

"Just Zabuza, that's it? What happened to those other two ninja?" the boy asked. Ino and Sakura were mildly interested about the pair as well and all three students looked to the Jounin. Kakashi squirmed a bit not wanting to tell them about their old classmate.

"Er…I worked something out with them once you three were gone. I managed to convince them to leave Tazuna alone and not help Zabuza." he stated simply. He rolled his eye when Sasuke smirked; even his two fan girls couldn't help sighing.

"They ran away, you mean." the raven-haired boy said with a bit of pride. Of course they ran away; he was a mighty Uchiha avenger.

"Actually, they didn't. Like I said, I had to convince them to drop the job. That's a good thing though; if they were helping Zabuza we couldn't protect Tazuna without taking at least some casualties." Kakashi said flatly. _Sasuke may be a genius but his ego is as large as the Hokage monument. Was I like that back when I was his age? _The Jounin shivered at the thought.

"Hn." was the only response the boy gave, obviously not believing his teacher.

"Uh, you said we would get to do some training? What did you have in mind, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. She and Ino subconsciously agreed to end the embarrassing conversation that was going on in front of them. Kakashi was grateful for this and turned to his other two students with a smile.

"Well, I was thinking tree climbing followed by some water walking; if you're good enough. After all, I doubt Zabuza will move anytime soon since he doesn't have the allies he thought he had." the Jounin said. He was amused with the skeptical looks the two girls were giving him.

"Tree climbing? How's that supposed to help us defend Tazuna-san?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, and water walking? How the heck do you expect us to do that? " the blonde girl asked from beside Sakura. Sasuke gritted his teeth and decided to join the conversation at that point.

"Zabuza did it when he caught you in that water jutsu, Kakashi." the boy added looking up from the table. "Teach us." he then demanded. Kakashi sighed; this boy was quickly becoming a liability.

"Did you not hear me from the start? I said I would teach you all how to do this stuff. Today we start the tree climbing, tomorrow the water walking." the Jounin said as he stood up from the table. They had some time before dinner would be ready and his students needed all the time they could get to prepare. Well, at least two of his students would be appreciative of his efforts. He smiled at this and motioned for the group to follow him outside and off towards the near-by forest.

**_/-/-/-/-/-/-/_**

"How about that place?" a white-haired boy asked as he pointed to a run-down building off to the side of the road.

"Are you sick in the head? Look at that dump! There is no way I'm staying in a dump like that." the boys' companion said as she looked to where he was pointing. "Why don't we stay there?" the girl said as she pointed to a nicer building a few blocks down.

"But the other one is right beside the ramen stand…" Naruto moaned. Tayuya stared at him for a few moments making the boy shift uncomfortably.

"You mean to tell me…that you were asking me to stay in a place where the roaches were probably the size of a cow just so you won't have to walk farther to get ramen!" she said through her teeth. Naruto flinched at the glare he was receiving.

"Er, no…of course not, Tayuya-chan! I just…don't judge a place by first impressions, that's all! But now that you mention it, your place does look nicer." the boy said. This seemed to be enough for the girl as she stomped off towards the nicer hotel. "Ugh, that was close. She's been so moody since this afternoon." he muttered under his breath.

"What was that!" the girl yelled from further down the street. Naruto gulped and tried to smile in an innocent way.

"N-Nothing, Tayuya-chan! I hope there are some free rooms left." The girl grumbled and walked into the buildings lobby while Naruto prayed to every god in the heavens that there were some vacancies; he did not want Tayuya to get even more annoyed. The pair walked up to the counter where an old woman was hunched over the wooden desk going though various papers. The hotel was one of the nicer buildings in economically-bankrupt country. Tayuya coughed to get the man's attention and he raised his head from his pile of papers.

"Yes? How can I help you?" the woman said politely.

"We want to stay here." Tayuya said as she pointed her thumb over her shoulder at Naruto. The clerk looked between the two for a moment before smiling brightly.

"You two are such a good-looking couple! I guess you're on your honeymoon? We have the suite still available…" the woman said as she rummaged through the desk door, looking for the key. Tayuya sputtered for a moment while Naruto laughed behind her. She slammed her hands down on the table making the woman quickly turn her attention over to flushed girl in front of her.

"We are NOT a couple! Do we look old enough to be married! Just give us two single rooms!" she said between growls. Naruto was still laughing from behind her and she shot him a glare…which would have looked much more intimidating had she not have been blushing as red as she was. Tayuya grinded her nails into the table as the white-haired boy started to wheeze from laughing too much. The scared clerk handed over two keys to the girl who only glared at her one more time before stomping off to the stairs. Naruto was left in the lobby shifting on one foot to the other as he tried to decide what to do. _If I follow her up she'll just yell at me…if I stay down here too long she'll yell at me…wow, such a great vacation, stupid clerk…_

"Are you coming?-!" Tayuya yelled from the second story. Naruto shook his head as he started up the stairs; he knew he was going to receive the bad end of a verbal rant from his partner but oddly he found himself looking forward to it. _She is cute when she blushes…_

**_/-/-/-/-/-/-/_**

"Zabuza-san, what is our plan of action going to be?" Haku asked. The pair had retreated to their woodland base after their tactical retreat. The Demon Brothers were due back within the hour and Zabuza was getting restless. Kakashi had escaped him and he had been tricked by a little girl…**a** **girl**! He pinched the bridge of his nose to stave off a growing headache. _If the other swordsmen of the mist ever found out about this I'd never be able to live it down…I can just imagine the things Kisame would say!   
_

"We're going to wait for the Demon Brothers to get back and then we'll watch Kakashi's group for awhile. We have a good amount of time before the bridge is going to be finished so we can get the old man whenever we feel like it." the missing-nin said. Haku nodded his head.

"I suppose we can…but what about those two sound-nin? Do you think they will help us when the time comes?" the boy asked. Zabuza considered this for a moment and shrugged.

"I have no idea what kinda game those two are playing. They seem to have fought Kakashi before, though…maybe they wanted to finish him off themselves for some grudge or something? It doesn't matter though, if they get in our way we'll deal with them. For now I want them watched; go keep an eye on them, Haku." Zabuza ordered as he lifted his massive sword off his back. The blade gleamed in the sparse light as he ran a soft cloth over the metal, cleaning it. Haku smirked under his mask and bowed; this was going to be an interesting investigation…

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Bah, such a short chapter. I hate tiny chapters like this; the only reason I'm posting one so short is to give a kinda calm before the storm that will happen in the next few chapters. Sorry if you action guys were expecting more. On a lighter note, this is my first bit of fluff! Well, it's not really fluff, I guess…I still enjoyed writing it, though! See you after exams/week after next. 


	8. When the Devil's Away

Told you I'd have a new chapter out before next week. Here we go on a new chapter of Sounding. I hope it lives up to expectations now that we've hit 200+ reviews! Thank you all so much for that; you have no idea how much that means to me. This is mostly a Sakura/Ino angst chapter so I hope you guys don't mind. Naruto and Tayuya have some airtime so it's not too bad. As always; read, review, and enjoy!

**Disclaimer no Jutsu: Don't own Naruto!**

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**_**Chapter 8: When the Devil's Away the Demons Will Play**_

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"So, the trick is the pool the chakra into your feet and use it to stick to the tree." Kakashi stated from his upside-down perch in the tree. The Jounin was teaching his charges the basic skill of tree climbing in preparation for the more difficult water walking skill they would be learning in the next few days. Sakura and Ino seemed to be taking to his lessons with a humble want to learn; Sasuke was barely tolerating the lesson.

"Ok, so if we use too little we'll fall out of the tree and if we don't use enough we'll bounce off? The trick would be to find a balance, right, Sensei?" Sakura asked. The Jounin smiled under his mask; there was at least one kid in his group who was talented. Ino stretched her legs before cracking her knuckles.

"In that case we should be able to find the balance though trial and error! Come on, Sakura-chan!" she declared before running towards a tree. Sasuke and Sakura watched as she got a good ten feet up before having to back flip off of the tree trunk to avoid falling. "Darn, this is harder than it looks…"

"It was still a good try, Ino-chan! We just have to have very good chakra control." Sakura said before moving her hands into the classic 'chakra-focus' seal. A few moments pass before a faint glow formed around her feet and she took off for the tree beside Ino's. She managed to run half-way up the tree before loosing her concentration and falling…unfortunately she was a good thirty feet up. Sakura started to panic until she felt a pair of arms catch her mid-fall. _Sasuke-kun caught me! _

"You need to be more careful, Sakura-chan!" Sakura nodded absentmindedly while she was reveling in the soft, delicate arms of Sasuke… '_Wait_…s_oft and delicate? Since when is Sasuke-kun soft and delicate?' _Sakura fluttered her eyes open expecting to see Sasuke but instead found a concerned Ino looking down at her as they landed.

"Ino-chan…you saved me…" Sakura said, a bit surprised.

"Uh…w-well, who else would have! You can't rely on someone to catch you every time you fall, forehead-girl!" Ino stuttered. A few moments passed with the two girls still just staring at each other; Ino with mock-frustration and concern and Sakura with gratefulness and embarrassment.

"Um…girls; we need to get this training done…" came a voice from above. Ino and Sakura both snapped out of their moment and suddenly became all too aware of their respective positions; Ino was still holding Sakura bridal-style and Sakura had her arms wrapped around Ino's neck. The blonde konoichi abruptly dropped her pink-haired friend and the two separated like they were allergic to one another.

'_What the hell was **that!**' _was the thought mirrored by four different people at the same time. Kakashi decided it would be best to ignore that particular situation for now and concentrate on the training exercise.

"Um…well…Sakura has the right idea; gather your chakra first **then** try to climb the tree." Seeing that his charges had the basic idea down, Kakashi dropped from his perch and landed in front of his students. "Ok then, I'll take first watch at the bridge while you three practice." Kakashi said as he walked past his students. Right as he was about to teleport away, he got a very cruel idea; he just couldn't resist.

"Sasuke, I'm putting you in charge here!" the Jounin said; when Sasuke looked as close to confused as he was going to get, Kakashi grinned. "That's right! You're in charge of making sure Sakura and Ino don't waste too much training time flirting with each other." After that, the Jounin was gone in a swirl of leaves.

"**HENTAI!" **was all the Jounin heard while he fled from two very angry, very embarrassed, konoichi.

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"Tayuya-chan…did you just hear a couple of girls call someone a pervert?" Naruto asked his partner as the two ate their continental breakfast in the hotel dinning room.

"Uh…no." Tayuya answered as she ate a spoon-full of cereal. "You shouldn't stay up so late, it affects your brain." Naruto tilted his head in thought before shrugging.

"Maybe…anyway, what do you want to do today? We can go shopping or something or we can go check in on the target." Naruto suggested as he poked his burnt toast with his finger; he frowned when it turned out to be hard as a rock.

"Target? You mean that bridge builder, right? I thought we were going to skip the job this time! Make up your mind, jackass!" Tayuya scolded. Naruto bared his two fangs and smiled; that always freaked Tayuya out, who has fangs like that?

"I let them go one time and one time only. Like you said, it's a bad mark on our performance. Besides, I really want to have a little fun with that Jounin; I think he could give us a good fight." the white-haired boy replied with a feral grin. Tayuya thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"We can do that later! I got into the vacation mindset last night and your ass is going to make sure I have fun, you got that? I was all business yesterday but you wanted to be lazy; I'm not going to go out of my way now just because you're bored." the redhead replied. Naruto looked crest-fallen but reluctantly nodded.

"So what are we going to do today, oh princess of Oto?" Naruto said with mock-respect. Even though she knew he didn't mean it, Tayuya found herself turning red at the nickname. Naruto must have noticed it because he regained just a hint of his grin; he wasn't going to let an opportunity like this slip by.

"W-well, I want to go shopping first. Wave has a few good places to shop and Hidden Mist is known for their weapons; since Hidden Mist is so close some of their stock has gotta spill over here." Tayuya said. Naruto agreed with that logic and stood up from the table.

"Well, that sounds like a plan! We can get a decent breakfast while where out." the boy said as he slipped on his dark purple cloak. Tayuya finished off her orange juice and got up from the table to join Naruto who was headed out the lobby door. She was mildly surprised that he waited and held open the door for her. '_Heh, jackass must be learning some manners.' _

"After you, Tayuya-_hime_." Naruto said with a smirk. Tayuya cursed under her breath as she walked out while trying to hide her red cheeks. '_Then again, he could just be trying to piss me off…'_

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'_Darn that pervert, Kakashi! I can't believe he said me and Sakura were flirting!' _Ino thought angrily as she tried to climb her tree yet again. She just couldn't concentrate now; she was just too mad! _'Like I would even want Sakura; she's totally not my type…' _Ino stopped in her tracks and mentally slapped herself. _'Not that I would want to date another girl in the first place! Argh, damn you, Kakashi!' _Ino tried her best to clear her mind but still sneaked a glance at the pink-haired konoichi. Sakura was already 3/4 of the way up her tree and looked to beat both Sasuke and Ino at tree climbing. _'She's gotten better about landing on her feet; I guess I won't have to catch her anymore…' _Ino sighed at herself and wondered why that was such an unwelcome prospect…

"Arg! I can't believe this!" Sasuke's self-gripping brought Sakura out of her training mindset. The raven-haired boy had only made it halfway up his tree and was becoming very annoyed. _'And even more annoying; you don't see me or Ino complaining like that.'_ Sakura thought bitterly. _'But Sasuke-kun is still the greatest…right? I mean, at least he's not giving up.' _Sakura tooka quick look at her other teammate and found that Ino had actually lost progress in the last few minutes. _'How did that happen? Man, she's gotten a lot worse…' _Sakura stopped gathering chakra and walked over to a concentrating Ino. The blonde girl didn't even notice her presence until she tapped Ino on the shoulder. Once the blonde saw who poked her she twisted away like she was burned.

"S-Sakura! U-uh, what is it?" Ino asked from her new position several feet away from the confused pink-haired konoichi.

"Uh, I noticed how much trouble you're having with this, I thought I could help?" Ino let out a deep breath and walked slowly back over to her teammate.

"T-thanks, Sakura-chan; I've gotten worse at it, haven't I?" Ino asked. Sakura noticed the other girl's forlorn expression and tried to bridge the subject as delicately as possible.

"You were doing well at first! I think you just got distracted or something; you have to have concentration to gather your chakra precisely. Is something bothering you, Ino-chan?" Sakura asked innocently. Ino flinched and looked away as she suddenly found it hard to look her friend in the eyes.

"O-of course not! I was just thinking about Sasuke-kun! Why don't you go back over to your tree and keep up your own training, forehead-girl!" Ino didn't mean for her voice to come off that harshly but she just needed Sakura to giver her some space so she could sort all this out; said pink-haired konoichi honestly looked hurt and it made Ino feel even lower than she already did.

"Fine, Ino-pig! Let's see if you get anymore help from me!" Sakura huffed as she stormed off. Ino watched her until she went back to training. The blonde girl clenched her fists and ran at her own tree making it twice as far up as before. Anger, even directed at oneself, was a good thing to concentrate on. Sasuke noticed her new progress and decided to find out what Sakura had told her; whatever it was gave her an edge on the exercise.

"Ino." the Uchiha said suddenly. Said blonde turned to him with a mildly surprised look; since when did the mighty Sasuke talk to one of his teammates?

"What is it, Sasuke?" Ino asked. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed at the lack of an honorific but he let it slide for the time being.

"Tell me what Sakura told you." he demanded. Ino blinked at him...several times...before frowning.

"Why the hell do you want to know that?" she growled. Sasuke was shocked at the tone one of his fan girls was using towards him and he was mildly amused. He kept his steel glare, however.

"Look, tell me or I go ask her." he said. Ino gave him an incredulous look before clinching her fist; the Uchiha was really pushing his luck.

"It.is.none.of.your.damn.business!" she hissed though clenched teeth. Again, Sasuke was taken back; why was she protecting training secrets so fiercely?

"Hn." the Uchiha grunted as he moved to get around Ino. Said blonde konoichi saw this and blocked his path with a growl.

"I'm warning you; don't bother her with your stupid questions." By this time Sasuke was really starting to get annoyed. This girl just didn't know her place! How dare she try and impede his training?

"No, I'm warning **you**. If you don't get out of my way right now, I'll make you." the genius ninja tapped his kunai pouch to emphasize his point. Ino's eyes got as round as silver dollars at this but she recovered and actually whipped out one of her kunai.

"If you think you have the balls then come on!" she growled. _'That bastard pushed me too far! It's none of his damn business what Sakura and I were talking about, I can't believe him! Cold bastard is going to pay for this!'_

"What the hell is your prob—" the Uchiha prodigy was cut off by Ino's battle cry as she launched herself at him. He barely had time to draw a kunai to fend her off as the blades clashed. Sakura ran over from her tree and was saying something but it didn't register to the angry Ino.

"What's wrong?-! I thought you wanted to fight!" Ino yelled as she slipped a fist inside the raven-haired boy's guard. His head snapped up as his jaw erupted in pain from Ino's uppercut.

"You cold jerk! You have no right to demand things of me!" Ino didn't let up on the attack as she dodged a half-hearted slice from Sasuke. Dropping to the ground, the kunai sailed over her head as her foot lashed out in a sweep that had the Uchiha flat on his back. He didn't have much time to recover as the blonde konoichi was straddling him while pinning his arms down with unholy vengeance set in her eyes; not even Sasuke wanted to mess with her right then.

"Listen and listen good; you have no right to demand I tell you any—" Ino was cut off as a searing pain shot thought the back of her head. She landed face first in the dirt and spit out a rock that somehow managed to get into her mouth as she looked over her shoulder to see what happened. Sakura was standing over Sasuke with her hands still in an axe-handle position.

"What the hell is your problem, Ino!" the pink-haired konoichi yelled. Ino was too stunned to say anything in her defense as Sakura helped Sasuke up off of the ground. The Uchiha roughly swatted Sakura's hand away as he glared at Ino. The blonde konoichi felt the strange anger well up again as she saw the attitude Sasuke was giving Sakura. She was about to jump him again when Sakura caught her intent and put herself in front of the Uchiha.

"If you want to attack Sasuke-kun again you'll have to go though me, Ino!" Sakura said in a steel voice. Ino's face scrunched up in anger and hurt as she watched this.

"Why are you defending him?-! The bastard just brushed you off without even showing you any gratitude!" Ino argued as she managed to put her feet under herself again. Sakura faltered for a moment but quickly regained her glare.

"It doesn't matter! You attacked him for no reason; stop being such a…a…bitch! You touch Sasuke-kun again and I'll make sure you regret it!" Sakura yelled. Ino recoiled as if Sakura's words physically hit her. _'She…she called me…damn her!'_

"I-I can't believe you, Sakura! H-how could y-you?" Ino stuttered as she felt something warm run down her cheeks. She shot one last glare at the pink-haired konoichi before she took off in the opposite direction, disappearing into the forest. Sakura looked torn for a moment as Sasuke grunted and walked back over to his training tree with a scowl. Setting herself, Sakura sighed and went back to her own tree knowing full well that the Uchiha would not talk about what just happened but also knowing that some bridges would stay burnt after this…

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"So…how long has he been following us?" Naruto asked as he and Tayuya walked down one of the busier streets of Wave Country.

"He was on us the second we left the hotel. That bastard really needs to learn the specialties of his targets. I mean, trying to tail sound-nin? Come on, I can use my jutsu's to hear him all the way from the rooftops and you can feel him by the air he disrupts as he moves. Dumb prick has no idea who he's dealing with." Tayuya said confidently. The pair had picked up on their stalker a few minutes after they left the hotel and were currently leading him on a grand tour of Wave Country as neither of them had anything to do.

"Well, not everyone was trained like we were; he's still a good shinobi. I wonder who it is…I'm pretty sure Kakashi could watch without us knowing so he's out." Naruto pondered as the pair rounded a corner towards the waterfront.

"It might be one of his trash students or maybe some mist-nin that's getting jumpy that we're here." Tayuya stated. Naruto mulled this over but shook his head.

"Nah, Kakashi's team wasn't this good. Really, if it wasn't for being trained by Kimimaro-sensei I wouldn't know they were there." Naruto added. Tayuya's brow furrowed in thought before she snapped her fingers.

"How about that kid that was with Zabuza? The 'mighty' demon is on Kakashi's level so we wouldn't notice him, like you said, but that Haku guy was a bit below him. He was also more talented than Kakashi's trash." Tayuya said, obviously quite proud of herself.

"You're probably right. It makes sense; Zabuza-san **_would_** put him on us to see if we were splitting loyalties. Now that we know, what should we do?" Naruto asked. Tayuya shrugged at him and the pair turned another corner.

"I have no idea. Maybe we should just kill the bastard for bothering us? I sure as hell don't want him following me all day." Tayuya said as she flicked a stray hair out of her face. As Naruto was beginning to answer, a swirl of leaves marked the arrival of a ninja. Both Naruto and Tayuya slipped into a defense stance as a familiar masked shinobi stepped out from the swirling leaves. Naruto relaxed a bit once Haku showed no intent to attack; Tayuya was still edgy.

"So nice of you to join us, Haku-kun." Naruto said. Haku gave the two sound-nin a small bow before speaking.

"You as well, Torajikku-kun." Haku then looked over to the annoyed konoichi. "It is good to see you also, Tayuya-san."

"What the hell do you want, bastard? Finally got sick of following us and decided to give up?" Tayuya said in a mocking tone. If her insult had any effect the former mist-nin did not show it.

"I mearly noticed that you seemed to know I was following you and felt I could openly approach you." Haku explained. "My mission was compromised the second you sensed me."

"How did you know we knew you were there? And what was your mission, anyway?" Naruto asked. He was a bit more laid-back than his partner and was actually amused by the entire situation. The missing-nin thought for a moment before answering.

"You are not the only gifted shinobi in the world, Torajikku-kun. It wasn't much of a feat to overhear some of your conversation especially when Tayuya-san talks so loudly." Haku explained while ignoring the righteous anger that was building up within the red-haired konoichi. Naruto gave a lopsided grin and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, she talks loudly sometimes but that's only because she doesn't consider you a threat even if you did know we knew you were there." Naruto added. Tayuya seemed a bit surprised he came to her defense and relaxed the defense stance she was still somewhat in. Haku chuckled from behind his white mask.

"I suppose you are right. You are both very strong; that is why Gatou-san sent for you…" Haku trailed off. Tayuya scoffed when she picked up on what he was implying.

"So, that punk Zabuza sent you to see what our motives were, huh? Go back and tell him we'll do whatever we damn well want to." Tayuya said. The fact that Haku stiffened a bit when Tayuya insulted Zabuza didn't go unnoticed by Naruto.

"That is correct, Tayuya-san. He sent me to find out why you did not carry out your contract with Gatou-san and let Tazuna escape." Haku noted. Naruto shifted uneasily as Tayuya pinned him with a glare.

"Just…tell Zabuza-san that I owed that particular team a favor. I'm not planning on abandoning the mission if that's what he's worried about. We were planning on dealing with them at the end of this week, anyway. He can join us if he wishes." Naruto explained. Haku nodded his head and bowed.

"I understand, Torajikku-kun. Zabuza-sama will be pleased to hear about your dedication. I am sure we will be joining you when you attack." Haku answered as he started to form a transportation jutsu. The look Tayuya was giving Naruto was borderline homicidal and the white-haired boy decided being alone with her was not good for his help.

"Uh, wait a second, Haku!" Naruto croaked out. The former mist-nin paused his seals and looked at the sound-nin along with Tayuya. "Eh-heh…you were supposed to follow us all day right? Zabuza-san will be mad at you if you come back early so why don't you stick with us for the day? We were about to go get breakfast anyway."

"I don't know…Zabuza-san might need me soon…" Haku hesitated. Naruto sighed and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.

"He was expecting you to be gone the whole day, right? Lemme put it this way: since we're allies for this mission don't you think we should get used to each other? We can swap information, there are a few things I'd like to know about you and Zabuza and I'm sure you have some questions for us." the sound-nin argued. With a sigh, Haku nodded his head. "Great! First thing we should do is get a decent breakfast, right Tayuya-hime?"

"Whatever. As long as he doesn't bother me I don't care who tags along." the red-head mumbled as she walked away from the pair. Naruto almost did a dance in the middle of the street for having avoided the wrath of his companion but was soon proved wrong when a fist came down hard on the top of his head. "And what have I said about calling me that, you dumb bastard!" she then turned towards the masked Haku who was now backing away slowly. "If we're going to be seen together then you have to take off that ridiculous mask; I have to deal with that enough with this freak." she said as she punched Naruto once again for good measure. Haku hesitated for a moment but resigned and pulled off the mask. Naruto and Tayuya both gapped at the girlish face that was formally covered.

"W-what is it?" Haku asked as the two continued to stare. Tayuya recovered first and groaned into her hand as she walked away.

"Great, we just leave Oto and I already run into another Sakon…he would be laughing his gay ass off right about now…" she mumbled as she walked. Haku tossed Naruto a 'what did I do?' glance and Naruto shook his head.

"Trust me…you don't want to know." he said as he and a bewildered Haku jogged to catch up to their annoyed companion.

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Don't you just hate me for leaving it like that? And you all wondered why this was an adventure/**drama**…heh. Next chapter the Oto-nins try to knock some sense into the leaf-nin and what's with a hot spring rendezvous and what will Ino do! Next chapter: Boiling Point! 


	9. Walking The Lightning's Edge

Aiya, sorry about the wait. Ranma 1/2 called to me and I had to listen! To make this clear, I'm not abandoning my Naruto fics, I just had to write for Ranma since I got the urge to. I'm not the kind of writer that can sit down and make himself write something; it has to come to me and for a few weeks, the Ranma stuff was just 'on' for me, sorry to you guys who thought my Naruto stuff was dead. Anyway, Some have complained about the 'forced' relationship between Ino and Sakura in the last chapter. This chapter should clear that up a bit with a mostly Ino POV. Anyway; read, review, and enjoy this new chapter. I really think this one is the most dynamic one I've ever done in a fiction; especially with the beginning of the monster fight scene that lasts three whole chapters.

Disclaimer no Jutsu: I, like every other fanfic writer, do not own Naruto.

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**Chapter 9: Walking The Lightning's Edge **

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A down-trodden blonde walked along the streets of Wave Country. Most of the populous was poor and depressed so the new face didn't draw many eyes. Ino wandered aimlessly though the cold streets in the morning fog while the images that had occurred earlier in the day replayed in her mind.

_'Ugh, what the hell happened back there?'_ Ino thought to herself as she stopped on one of the many bridges that connected the inner streets of the city. She slumped against the railing with a sigh and groaned when she saw her reflection.

_'Damn, I look horrible...'_ The blonde was disheveled after her escape from her teammates; her eyes were red and puffy, there were twigs sticking out of her hair, and her long ponytail was threatening to come undone. _'Heh, what would Sasuke think if he saw me now?'_

Ino shivered at the thought of the cold Uchiha. On the way into the city she started to agree with what Sakura had called her; she had acted like a bitch. _'Well, it's not like he was any better. Kuso, that guy is such a cold fish! It really wasn't any of his business what Sakura said to me...since when has he been nosy, though? I may have overreacted a bit but he really pushed me! I told him not to bother her...why did I do that? Why did I even care?'_

Ino groaned and knocked her forehead against the wooden rail of the bridge. She knew she should get back soon but that would mean facing Sasuke...and Sakura.

Ino shifted to look out over the water. If there was anything to be said about Wave it was that it was beautiful. As she watched the water flowing past the bridge she started to remember...

_"Ino-chan! Can you come out to play?" a young Sakura asked as she wandered around the Yamanaka family flower shop._

_Ino smiled at her and skipped over to her friend. "Mom wants me to help her watch the shop today but you can stay here and help too if you want." Sakura smiled at her and bobbed her head to the affirmative. The two six-year-olds ran over to the counter where Ino's mother was ringing-up a customer's order of roses._

_"So, what did you think of the new teacher at the academy?" Ino asked as they waited for her mother to get done with the customer. Sakura tilted her head in thought before smiling._

_"He's really nice, not like our last teacher. He was even patient with Naruto...well, the first couple of times he interrupted class, anyway." Sakura giggled._

_Ino moaned and shook her head. "That kid's so troublesome! He always stops class just to ask dumb questions he should have learned when he first started the academy; it's his own fault for not paying attention the first time."_

_Sakura nodded at every point her best friend made. It wasn't that she disliked Naruto, he was just...too much. So loud and confident even when he knew he didn't know something._

_"Ino-chan, I need you to refill our stock on long-stemmed roses. Would you go get three dozen from the back and put them into the main display?" Ino's mother asked. The two girls turned around and Ino nodded._

_"Sure, mom. Can Sakura help me today? Please...?" Ino tried her best to look nice and innocent with her eyes._

_Her mother looked at the shy Haruno girl and smiled. "If Sakura-chan wants to then I'm fine with it." Ino and Sakura smiled at each other before running off to the back of the store with identical grins._

Ino shook herself out of her remembrance; times like that were impossible now since Sakura ended their friendship. The blond buried her face into her crossed arms as she wrenched her eyes closed to stop them from watering up.

"Gods, I miss those times..." she said quietly. "...why did things have to turn out like this? I miss her..."

"Ah, don't worry about it, Ino-chan. I'm sure whoever it is misses you too." the blonde konoichi quickly spun around to face whoever had infringed on her reminiscencing. She was met with the impassive face of a white fox mask she knew all too well...

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_'Damn that Ino!'_ Sakura thought as she sat at the top of her tree. Sakura would have thought that this would be a good chance to be with Sasuke alone but The amount of guilt she was feeling over Ino's departure was frustrating her to complete distraction. _'It's not my fault she acted like that. She just blew-up at Sasuke-kun for no reason! Well...I don't really know why she did it but it couldn't have been so bad that she would attack him like that. If Kakashi-sensei finds out about this she'll be in so much trouble...'_

Sakura spared a glance at her raven-haired teammate. The genius ninja was about three-fourths of the way up his tree thanks to the tips Sakura had given him. _'Of course, he didn't even thank me for them...'_ Sakura thought sadly. The pink-haired konoichi had hopped she could strike up a conversation with the Uchiha once she gave him a few instructions on how to use his chakra more effectively but for some reason her mind rebelled against her and kept thinking about the way Ino had left. _'She looked so...' _

"...betrayed..." Sakura finished her thought out loud. That was it, she figured; the emotions Ino showed before she ran off were burned into Sakura's mind. Anger, hurt, shock, betrayal, and something deeper that the pink-haired kunoichi couldn't even hope to comprehend.

"No...she won't be forgiving me for this anytime soon. It's her fault for putting me in that situation, though! It's...her fault...right?" she asked herself quietly.

"Sakura!" The kunoichi looked over the side of the tree limb she was sitting on. At the foot of the tree, Sasuke was looking up at her with a bored expression; even at that, Sakura's heart skipped a beat. "I'm finished with the exercise and I'm heading to the bridge to meet with Kakashi." he simply stated before walking off. Sakura pushed Ino out of her mind for the time being as she leapt down from the tree to keep pace with the Uchiha.

_'At least he took the time to tell me he was leaving this time...'_ she thought with a bit of happiness as she jogged up to the quiet boy's side.

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"You..." Ino's danger sense kicked in full-force and she reached down to her kunai pouch. The masked figure let out a short chuckle before raising his hands in a warding gesture.

"Hey, calm down! I'm off the clock right now!" the masked ninja said with a bit of humor in his voice. Ino narrowed her eyes and leveled a kunai at him. The white-haired Oto-nin sighed and crossed his arms. "If I was going to attack you do you thing I would have alerted you to my presence? I mean, you've already seen what I can do, do you think you're enough to beat me?"

Ino scowled but lowered her kunai a bit. "What do you want...and how did you know my name?" Ino asked. That seemed to catch the young nin off-guard and he shifted his weight uneasily from one foot to another.

"Um...well..." he started to stumble over his words.

"Torajikku! What the hell are you doing over there?" a familiar redhead yelled from the other side of the bridge but she didn't come over. From where she was standing the masked nin was blocking her view of Ino.

"Nothing! You two head on over to the hot springs without me for a bit, I have some business to take care of!" 'Torajikku' shouted back with a strange wave. A million things were now running though Ino's mind; just what the hell was going on?

The redhead looked at her other companion, a girl with long black hair, and nodded slowly. The two continued their trek down the streets leaving the white-haired boy alone with the blonde.

"So...what do you want from me?" Ino asked in a more subdued voice. The masked boy shrugged and leaned down on the wooden rail much like Ino had been doing.

"I don't know. You just looked like you were having a hard time." the boy responded.

Ino snorted and leaned her back against the railing a bit further down the bridge still holding her kunai at her side. "What do you care? You just got through trying to kill me a few hours ago and now you want to be nice? I'll bet you just want me to tell you about my team to get inside information."

"Nah, I already know more about you three than you know, Ino-chan; I do my homework before missions." the boy scoffed. Ino shot him a sidelong glance before turning back to the water.

"Why do you care if I'm having a hard time with something? You don't know me so how do you know I'm not just an angst-heavy person that likes to brood?" Ino inquired.

Torajikku leveled a stare at her from behind his mask. "Because you're not an Uchiha."

Ino tried not to laugh but she couldn't help it. The boy joined in on the laughter for a few moments of humor; it went a long way to breaking the tension.

"Yeah...hehe, only Sasuke would waste a good day like this brooding for no reason." Ino gasped though giggles.

"So, you have a good reason to brood? Something to do with a person you miss?" the Oto-nin guessed.

That stopped Ino dead. She turned to the remarkably-insightful boy and scowled. "Something like that. I just...screwed up a bit today."

Torajikku turned to her as if he was going to say something but stopped himself short. After a few moments he scratched the back of his head but apparently decided to continue. "You...and Sakura-chan got into a fight didn't you?"

Ino tensed noticeably before slumping her shoulders. "Y-yeah...how did you know that?"

"Like I said, I do my homework. I know you two grew-up together and were best friends throughout the Konoha Ninja Academy until something happened and you became enemies or maybe rivals so it would be hard not to guess something like that happened." the boy stated in a low voice.

Ino's mouth was hanging open by this time and she again spun around on the boy with her kunai leveled. "N-no way you know all that from 'doing your homework.' Who the hell are you?-!"

If the Oto-nin was threatened by her sudden change he didn't show it and instead turned his back to the girl. "Ino-chan...sometimes we hurt the people we care about by not being sympathetic to their needs and desires. Times like that are what test the bonds of friendship...and love. I know that because my village...my old home...did it to me once."

Ino shook her head and took a combat stance. By this time most of the passersby's had gotten off the bridge having been used to fights since Gatou set up base in their city. "W-w-who are you...were you...?"

Ino couldn't get out the rest of her question as she found herself unable to breath. Her kunai clattered to the wooden boards of the bridge as she held her throat. Her eyes widened in alarm as the Oto-nin turned around to face her with his hands holding a jutsu seal.

"Sorry, Ino-chan...a shinobi is never off the clock." that was the last thing Ino heard before her world went black...

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Naruto's eyes behind his mask were impassive as he watched the blonde girl fall to the ground. He released the jutsu and walked over to her to check her pulse.

"Whew, that was close. Man, that jutsu really takes it out of me..." the boy said as he felt the familiar pumping of blood under the Leaf-nin's skin. He turned his head slightly as two figures appeared behind him.

"Is she...?" Tayuya asked as she walked over to look at the unconscious Ino. Naruto shook his head and gently picked up the girl in his arms as Tayuya frowned at the treatment.

"Nah, she's just out-cold. I'm going to go drop her off in the woods or something." Naruto said as he started to walk off.

"Then what?" Tayuya asked in a gruff voice; she was really starting to regret following Naruto's hand sign to watch him when he waved, it would have been less of a hastle for her.

Naruto stopped and looked over his shoulder at the smoldering Tayuya. "After that...we complete our mission. Haku, tell Zabuza-san to meet us at the bridge in thirty minutes." he said before he walked off into the crowd of people.

"Finally...Torajikku-kun is ready to strike! I must go inform Zabuza-san about this development at once." Haku asked from behind Tayuya.

The redhead breathed deeply and turned. "Do that." she said before walking to opposite way, towards the bridge. Haku bowed and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Naruto...I hope you know what you're doing..." Tayuya mumbled to herself as she faded-out of sight.

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"Kakashi-san, do you really think you should be reading a...'book'...at a time like this?"

Kakashi raised his eye from his precious Icha-Icha Paradise and regarded the old bridge-builder. "What? I doubt anyone will attack you anytime soon so rest easy. My students should get here soon so then you'll have even less to worry about, Tazuna-san."

The old man nodded but still shot a look around as if ninja were going to jump out at any moment to attack him. The Jounin was still sure that Naruto wouldn't attack them again...of course, the events that lead to him leaving Konoha were anything but friendly. He had been in ANBU at the time of Naruto's 'death' and still had access to the case files. Even though a mob was attributed to the boy disappearing, a few people reported a Konoha-nin saving the boy. Most in ANBU thought the crowd was just trying to stick together but if someone did save the boy all those years ago, they could have warped his mind...especially if it was another hidden village that wanted the Kyuubi; they would feed him any information that would make him hate his old home.

"Kakashi-sensei!" The Jounin was brought out of his thoughts by his pink-haired student running up to him; Sasuke following in a more sedate pace behind her.

Kakashi put his 'book' away; Sakura would never let him hear the end of if she saw him reading it on the job. "Ah, there you two are. Already done with the tree-climbing training?"

"Hai, Sasuke-kun and I got done with it a few minutes ago and came right here." Sakura informed the Jounin. She scanned the bridge a bit before knitting her forehead in frustration. "Ino's not here?"

"Uh...I thought she was with you two. She didn't complete the training yet?" Kakashi asked. Sakura grew quiet and shook her head.

"We...kinda got into a fight and she ran off. I hope she's alright..." Sakura trailed off. Kakashi was about to say something until a light mist started to roll in. The construction crews started to whisper to each other as Tazuna ran back over to Kakashi and his two Genin's.

"Tazuna, get your people out of here." ordered the Jounin as he pulled out a kunai. Sakura and Sasuke saw this and drew their weapons as well.

"W-what's going on? Why are you all getting out weapons...?" Tazuna asked in a small voice. He didn't like the way this was looking; the two children were scanning the area but the older Jounin was staring strait into the thickest part of the mist.

"Zabuza..." Kakashi muttered. The two Genin's stiffened at the name of the famous swordsman and Tazuna's color drained out of his face.

"Ah...it's good that you remember me, Kakashi-san." All eyes turned towards the voice as two shadowy outlines appeared from the fog. The workers were running for their lives as Zabuza's bandaged face came into view. Kubikiri Houcho, the massive zanbatou the missing-nin employs, was clearly visible in the morning light. Haku, wearing his hunter-nin mask, walks silently behind his master.

Kakashi tensed; two enemies were reviled but where were the Oto-nin? Could he have been right about Naruto's change of heart?

"Ah, it seems I got here a little late." Kakashi let out a sigh and looked behind him. The redheaded girl from the first fight was blocking the other side of the bridge; Team Seven and Tazuna were now trapped.

"So...where's your partner?" Kakashi asked while he shifted his attention back to the Demon of the Mist. He silently communicated to Sakura, who was still standing by him, to watch the girl.

Tayuya scowled. Truthfully, she didn't know where Naruto was. The idiot was supposed to be back ten minutes ago but he still hadn't shown up. Well, no reason to let them know the bastard was missing. "He's taking care of an annoying blonde at the moment. Don't worry you one-eyed freak, he's been looking forward to a match with you."

Sakura stiffened. "Blonde? You, what have you done with Ino!" she shouted.

Tayuya smirked back and pulled out her flute in a majestic twirl. "Well, we took care of her before we came to get you. She was so dumb, just sitting out in the middle of the city bawling her eyes out. She acted like someone had killed her pet or something." the redhead taunted.

Sakura shrunk back at that, her face gone ashen. _'It's my fault...they got Ino because I ran her off!'_ Setting her stance she leveled a kunai at the Oto kunoichi as tears threatened to fall.

"If you hurt one hair on her head...I'll peel your skin off." Kakashi and Sasuke turned to look at the dead-serious kunoichi. Even Tayuya could see she was serious this time. Sakura was about to rush the girl when Kakashi put his hand on her shoulder.

"Sakura, I know they wouldn't kill Ino." Sakura looked up into the impassive eye of her teacher and relaxed a bit. The Jounin smiled and turned to the girl; he really didn't know if Naruto would kill her or not. "Since your partner isn't here yet, why don't you have a match with Sasu-"

"Me! Have a match with me." Kakashi sighed and looked down at the resolute face of Sakura. He was about to say something when the redhead started to laugh.

"Y-you? That's a joke, right? The only person here that even has a chance of beating me is the Jounin. Here...lemme show you what I mean." Tayuya's plan was to knock them off-guard in the first few moments of the fight. The lighting mark on the back of her neck started to flare to life as the black tattoos snaked around her body in a jagged pattern. Her chakra surged to the level of a mid-Chuunin in an instant and all the ninja present, even Zabuza and Haku, were stunned.

"H-h-h-how did she do that?" Sasuke croaked out. Kakashi's eye narrowed as he pulled up his hitai-ate exposing the Sharingan.

"So...you have a cursed seal? That means your partner would have one as well. Interesting...but how long can you sustain that chakra output? You know I'm still much stronger than you are." Kakashi mused.

The redhead smirked and shrugged. "That is all true; it's a good thing I won't be the one fighting you. Zabuza! Take care of scar-face and I'll deal with his brats."

Zabuza nodded and heaved Kubikiri Houcho from his back. "Haku, this is my fight so stay out of it...understand?"

The masked ninja nodded and took a step back. "Hai, Zabuza-san."

"You know, I'm honored to have seen the infamous Sharingan twice, Kakashi. Maybe once this is all over I'll cut it from your skull for a souvenir." Zabuza sneered.

Kakashi looked back at the advancing Tayuya. "Sasuke, you watch the Oto-nin while I deal with Zabuza; Sakura, you help Sasuke."

The Uchiha smirked; this was the fight he wanted. The redhead had embarrassed him during their last fight and now it was time to return the favor.

"Heh, you guys think it will be that easy? You have no idea what I can do in this form!" Tayuya shouted. _**"Makyo no Ran!"**_

The soft melody flowed from the Oto-nin's flute and enveloped the entire bridge. Sasuke sneered at the girl and tried to take a step forward only to find wires holding up his body.

"What is this!-?" he shouted as the melody grew louder. Kakashi and Zabuza had both used a Genjutsu cancel the moment they heard the music.

"Heh, seems the girl outclasses your students." Zabuza mused as he quickly closed the distance between him and the copy-nin. His massive sword swung down in a high arc that the Konoha Jounin barely had time to dodge. Kakashi closed his right eye to use the full-force of the Sharingan; he couldn't afford to watch his students in this fight...

_**"Kai!"**_ Sakura had the presence of mind to cancel the Genjutsu before the effects overtook her. Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't have that opportunity as he was now screaming out in pain.

Inside his mind, Sasuke was hanging over a den of bones held up by strings. He franticly fought at his illusionary bonds even as his hand started to melt.

"I refuse...to die...I have to stop...him..." Sasuke growled though clenched teeth. Just as he was about to submit to the pain, the Genjutsu evaporated around him and he could see Tayuya playing her flute off in the distance. The Uchiha prodigy blinked a few times and gasped; he could the redhead like he was standing next to him. Still a bit in shock, Sasuke reached down and grabbed the kunai he had dropped when the Genjutsu hit him. With a flick of his wrist, the weapon went sailing dead-on towards the Oto-nin.

"The hell?-!" Tayuya yelled as she heard the displacement of air around the weapon. The narrowly dodged the kunai as she performed a graceful summersault off to the side. "So...got out of that Genjutsu? Damn bastard!"

Sasuke paid her insults no mind as he looked over at Sakura. The pink-haired girl felt his gaze and met his eyes only to gasp when she saw the red pupils and tiny comma marks that had appeared only moments before.

"Play time is over, trash." Tayuya gritted her teeth and bit her finger drawing a steady flow of blood. The redhead smirked as she slammed her hand down on the bridge. _**"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"**_

A massive cloud of smoke exploded into existence and even the two Jounin stopped their fight for a moment. Sasuke and Sakura braced themselves against the wind that was whipped-up from the summoning.

"Well...didn't know the kid would know a jutsu like that." Zabuza said with genuine surprise as he heaved his massive sword onto his shoulders. Kakashi sighed; he had to finish this quickly and help his students. The copy Jounin closed his right eye again to focus his Sharingan. Zabuza got the hit and dropped into a fighting stance of his own. All at once, the pair rushed at each other with Zabuza swinging the Kubikiri Houcho in a sweeping arc to cut off Kakashi's legs at the knees. However, with the aid of the Sharingan the copy-nin could see the path of the sword and instantly jumped above the blade. With a single fluid motion, the Konoha-nin flipped over the head of the Demon of the Mist and cracked the back of his skull with a well-aimed kick.

"Damn you!" Zabuza used his right hand as a brace as he fell. He could hear Kakashi pushing off the ground a few feet behind him but could do nothing as his left hand wasn't fast enough to block with his massive sword. At the last moment, a needle embedded itself into Kakashi's side causing him to miss his mark my a few inches. The kunai sunk into the missing-nin's right shoulder instead of his spine, saving the Demon.

Kakashi left the kunai where it was and tossed a shuriken at Haku. The masked nin countered with a senbon needle. Zabuza used the distraction to get back to his feet but his right arm was in bad shape due to the kunai stuck in his shoulder blade.

"Haku...I might need your help with this one after all..." the Mist Demon admitted. Haku nodded and moved to put Kakashi between the two of them in a pincer formation. Kakashi pulled out another kunai and measured up his opponents. Although he didn't like to kill younger nins he had no time to waste.

_**"Makyo Hyosho!"**_ Haku started doing hand seals as the mist around him started to freeze and condense into sheets of ice. Zabuza smirked; Haku's bloodline was unbeatable.

_**"Raikiri!"**_ Kakashi's right hand erupted into a pulsating light that threatened to blind all present. Kakashi spared a look at the Mist Demon before rushing at Haku. On impulse, Zabuza heaved his zanbatou and made to cut the sprinting Kakashi in half before he could reach his tool.

Haku looked up from his jutsu when the flash of light caught his eye. When the masked nin looked up, all he could see was the three-comma Sharingan glaring at him, causing his legs to lock up. All he could see was the spinning eye as Kakashi grew closer. Somewhere in the back of his mind Haku could see Zabuza running at Kakashi with his sword heaved to attack.

As Kakashi closed in on the thrust, Haku braced himself for the impact. With the sickening sound of human flesh being pierced, most of the battlefield turned to see what was going on. The smell of burning skin snapped Haku's eyes back open.

"Y...you..." Kakashi muttered, wide-eyed. Haku numbly looked down at his chest. No gapping wound, no arm thrust thought it. Just blood...so much blood. The genius nin followed the red trail up to where Kakashi's fingers were barley hovering over his robe; they acted as a path for the blood to flow and drip...Zabuza's blood.

"H-h-he's...**my **tool..." Zabuza half mumbled, half sighed, as he slid off Kakashi's arm and slumped into a heap at Haku's feet...

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Bet you guys didn't see that one coming, neh? Next chapter: Naruto shows up with a guest and all hell breaks loose between Haku and Kakashi. How will Tayuya fair against Sasuke now that the Sharingan is activated? What will Sakura do to help, if she can? What will the Oto-nin do now that Zabuza is gone? Will I update in a more timely fashion? Come back next time for the answers to these questions and more on the next update! Thanks for reading. 

**Jutsu List!**

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_**Raikiri**_  
Kakashi's only original jutsu. It is more powerful than the Chidori because the master is the one using it. Unlike the Chidori, it doesn't cause much noise. I come to the conclusion based on the Manga that makes no mention of the Raikiri making any bird noises when Kakashi uses it.**  
**

**_Makyo no Ran (War of Evil Men)_**  
One of the melodies Tayuya plays on her demon flute. It causes anyone to hear it to be entranced in the _**Mateki: Mugen'onsa (Demonic Flute: Dream Sound Chain)**_ jutsu.

**_Mateki: Mugen'onsa (Demonic Flute: Dream Sound Chain)_**  
The recipient will feel like they are tied with numerous wires, restricting their movement. Then, their flesh will begin to melt away from their bones, causing great pain and horror to the person receiving the jutsu. The user must be playing the flute the entire time the Jutsu is being used.


	10. Friendship and Past Ties

Wow, such a response last chapter! Well, I'm really surprised at this story; it just hit 70,000 hits and broke 300 reviews! I think that's pretty amazing for a story that isn't Naruto/Hinata or Naruto/Sasuke. I really hope the success of this inspires others to make more original fictions. Anyway; read, review, and enjoy my latest offering to you!

Disclaimer no Jutsu: I don't own Naruto or the demon I'm making a contract with to gain it's trademark rights...what? Don't look at me like that...

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**Chapter 10: "Friendship and Past Ties"**

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A masked figure rushes though the forests of Wave Country. The boy has a figure slumped over his shoulder as he leaps from tree to tree; he seems to be searching for something.

"Gods Ino, you need to lose some of that muscle because it bulks you up too much." the boy groaned as he shifted his unknowing passenger once again. Deeper and deeper into the woods he carries her; finally, he stopped at a place that seems to be what he was looking for. He gently lifted the blonde girl from his shoulder and set her down at the base of a medium-sized tree. Quickly binding her hands and feet, he set to work looping a long piece of rope around her waist, clasping her firmly to the tree trunk.

Naruto took a step back to survey his work. With an appraising eye from behind his mask he looked over the knots. They were tight enough to hold the Genin there for a few hours at best but not complicated enough to make it so she would never get away. He was about to leave when her eyelids caught his attention; they were twitching rapidly as her eye moved around underneath them.

"Heh, even in a situation like this you dream." Naruto trailed off as he watched the blonde sleep, wondering what she was dreaming about...

**_--------------------_**

_"I...can't believe it..." Sakura mumbled to her blonde friend as they walked down the street from the Academy. _

_Ino shook her head with a somber look. "Me either. I didn't know him that good but still..." _

_"Naruto...I wonder if they'll ever find out what happened to him...? The ANBU didn't seem to care that much about asking questions." Sakura stated. The pair rounded the turn in the road and walked past a closed ramen shop. _

_"You know...he always did like ramen, he would always eat it for lunch." Sakura said sadly as she looked at the small shop. _

_Ino put her hand on the girl's shoulder to draw her friend's attention. "Sakura-chan, they will get to the bottom of this, he might not even be dead." _

_Sakura looked at the blonde and nodded. "Maybe. I hope he isn't..." The two stood in silence for a few moments. Ino shifted from one foot to the other before forcing a smile on her face. _

_"Come on, no use standing here moping. If he turns up tomorrow at school and we're all depressed he'll laugh at us! I would rather get kicked out of the village than have Naruto hold something like that over my head!" Ino declared. _

_Sakura blinked at her a few times before giggling. "Yeah, he'll be sitting there with ramen hanging out of his mouth and say something like, 'Why are you guys looking at me like that? You aren't getting my ramen!'" The two girls shared a laugh with each other before heading to their respective homes. Of course, tomorrow came and the little blonde boy never did show up..._

**_--------------------_**

Naruto shrugged, who cared what she was dreaming about? He certainly didn't; well, not enough that he would waste a good amount of time thinking about it. The masked nin looked up at the sun thought the tree canopy.

"Seems like I still have a few minutes before I have to meet-up with Tayuya-chan and the others." Naruto mused. Taking a look back at the dreaming Ino, Naruto slipped off his mask and slipped it inside his purple cloak. Spotting a cozy-looking tree nearby, he walked over to it and promptly slumped down against the trunk where he slid down until he hit the dirt.

The white-haired boy reached into his cloak again and pulled out a small hand towel to dry himself of perspiration. "Wonder how Zabuza-san is taking all this, he'll probably be pissed at me." he chuckled, imagining the missing-nin stomping around his weird little shack cursing his name.

"...Sa...Sa..." Naruto looked over again at the unconscious blonde. Having nothing better to do for a few moments, he walked over to where she was tied up.

"Heh, can't even go to sleep without dreaming about Sasuke, huh? Guess some things never change no matter how long you're away." Naruto huffed.

"Sa...Sa...Sakura..." Ino mumbled in her sleep. Naruto's face scrunched up in thought as he head that. He always thought Sakura and Ino hated each other after they broke off their friendship. He wasn't given much time to think, however, as Ino's eyes shot open.

"Who..?" Ino blinked at the familiar-looking boy hovering over her. Naruto, caught off-guard by her sudden reaction, didn't immediately reach for his mask and just stared back.

The blonde tensed her hands and legs only to find they were bound by several intricate knots. Ino looked up at the boy and glared hatefully at him. "You! Let me go right now!"

Naruto laughed quietly and drew back away from the Genin. "Let you go after all the trouble I went though to carry you here? Yeah, sure." Naruto replied sarcastically.

"So, it is you! You're the masked Oto-nin that was talking to me on the bridge!" Ino shouted as she just put two and two together. Naruto looked at her in confusion for a moment before reaching up to his uncovered face.

"Dammit!" he hissed as he reached into his cloak to retrieve his mask. Naruto was about to slip it back on when Ino snorted at him.

"Won't help you now since I've already memorized what you look like." the kunoichi taunted. She was about to say more but a flash of steel under her chin cut her off. The blue-eyed nin had drawn a kunai and was pressing it against her throat.

"In that case, I suppose I should deal with you." Naruto stated. Ino's eyes didn't look at the blade but at the boy's face. Blue eyes met hers as she took in the rest of his face. It was unremarkable except for the very strange tattoos on his cheeks...they were almost like...

"...whiskers?" Ino muttered despite the position she was in. Blue eyes, spiky hair, and whisker tattoos. Something clicked in her mind and her eyes widened. The boy saw this and backed off slightly but not enough that the kunai was off her throat.

"...Naruto...?" The silence of the forest was only broken briefly by the soft sound of a kunai hitting the forest floor...

_**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ **_

"Damn you!" Sasuke growled as he dodged an enormous club. Tayuya wasn't even paying him any attention as she continued playing her flute causing the three lumbering summons to charge again at the Uchiha. As he pushed his body to the limit dodging the strikes, he had a wide array of curses for his Jounin instructor; as much as he hated to admit it, he was in over his head.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura was off to the side being ignored by both fights. It made her blood boil that the Oto-nin didn't even consider her a threat worth consideration. She almost screamed out as she watched Sasuke go flying after a vicious tackle from one of the ethereal beings. She stole a look over to Kakashi and saw him running towards the masked-nin, he wasn't going to be much help.

"I have to save him myself!" Sakura aimed her kunai at the flute-player and, while praying to Kami-sama, sent it flying at the oblivious redhead.

Being the stellar shinobi that she was, Tayuya dodged the weapon that came from an unexpected angle. The momentary distraction did prove to have some results, however. The lumbering giants that were poised to skewer Sasuke lurched to a halt as the melody stopped, allowing the Uchiha to get to his feet.

_"**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!**" _A ball of ferocious fire lashed out at the three summons who couldn't dodge due to Tayuya's distraction. The redhead watched in growing rage as her ethereal helpers disappeared in a plume of smoke and fire.

"Shit, shit, shit! You bastards are going to pay for that!" she raged. Seeing that her two opponents were going to double-team her in close combat, she put her flue away and started hand seals; although she made sure she was restricting the effect as to not influence Zabuza's fight. **"_Oton: Hachou Konmei!" _**

Sasuke and Sakura braced themselves for whatever the 'Wavelength Confusion' was but after a few moments nothing happened. In fact, the bridge was quiet; no battle sounds, no taunting from the Oto-nin, no...anything.

"What happened, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked. Of course, when she couldn't hear her own voice the purpose of Tayuya's jutsu became apparent to her; it was as if no sound at all was reaching her ears. The pink-haired girl could see Sasuke had picked up on what the jutsu was for as his face was set in a scowl.

The cursed Tayuya was already pressing her advantage as she twirled her flute like a baton and went on the offensive. Sakura was too busy watching Sasuke and with the sound-blocking jutsu in effect she couldn't hear the sounds of Tayuya's feet as the Oto-nin rushed to attack.

Sasuke, however, did see the attack and sent a shuriken sailing over Sakura's shoulder before his teammate could even wonder what he was doing. Tayuya hissed in pain as the metal star imbedded into her arm but still completed the attack. Her instrument firmly impacted the back of Sakura's neck sending the girl into immediate darkness.

'_Ino...I'm so sorry...'_ was the last thought the girl had before falling to the ground in a heap.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and sent another barrage of shuriken at the Oto-nin, barely missing a falling Sakura. Tayuya, no-longer distracted by her attack, batted the weapons away with her flute. They two locked eyes in silence as neither could even taunt one another. Of course, they also didn't hear the fight going on further down the bridge...

_**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ **_

"...Zabuza-san? Zabuza...san..." Haku was shaking as he bent over his master's corpse. Kakashi backed away with his left eye closed to reserve his chakra. He really didn't think the Demon would do that but perhaps it was better the bigger threat was out of the way. The occasional surges of chakra coming from the fight further down the bridge worried him and he had to get back to his students as soon as possible.

Haku cradled the missing-nin's head in his hands as his white mask slipped off. The boy nudged his fallen comrade gently while his eyes were wide with disbelief; it was clear to Kakashi the man was already dead.

"You...you...you...**bastard!" **The pure venom in the young missing-nin's voice would have made lesser shinobi drawback in shock but not Sharingan Kakashi. The veteran Jounin mearly gave the boy a pitying look as he gripped his kunai; a distraught enemy was still an enemy.

**"Ninpou: Makyo Hyosho!" **Kakashi immediately tensed-up when several sheets of ice started to form around him. The missing-nin casually slipped into one of them with eyes harder than steel behind his mask. Kakashi quickly tried to analyze what the mirrors could be used for but was forced to give-up that line of thought when several senbon needles imbedded themselves in the ground he had previously occupied.

"So...this is some sort of reflection jutsu?" Kakashi asked more to himself than Haku. The former mist-nin was ricocheting from mirror to mirror launching needles that the elite Jounin was having trouble dodging. As two of the sharp instruments implanted themselves into his leg, Kakashi uncovered his Sharingan yet again.

"You're good..." Kakashi droned. Haku didn't pay his words any thought; he was beyond that now. The missing-nin gathered more senbon needles before dashing to another mirror while launching them at his opponent. To his utter shock, he found himself caught by the throat mid-leap by Kakashi. Haku glared hatefully at the man as Kakashi sighed. "...but I'm better."

The young boy wanted to curse Sharingan Kakashi's very existence, he wanted to make him pay for what he did to his master. He wanted, for the first time in his life, to actually kill someone. The spinning tome of the Sharingan cut-off these thoughts, however, as Haku found himself unable to keep his eyes open.

After his genjutsu had the desired effect, Kakashi watched the mirrors dissolve back into water. "That was some bloodlimit. Oh well, better go see how Sasuke is doing." Kakashi mused as he covered his left eye and disappeared in a swirl of leaves...

_**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ **_

"...Naruto...?"

She said it, he was sure. The white-haired boy was now staring in shock at the blonde girl. How had she known? It was unfathomable to the boy that she could have remembered him from all those years ago. After all, everyone back then hated him...right?

Deciding to take the safe rout, Naruto asked, "And who would that be?"

"Don't give me that! You know damn well who that is! How could you, you bastard?-!" Ino railed. For some reason, Naruto was feeling very sheepish right now. "How could you do that to your friends, to your family!"

"What family? What friends? You have no right to judge me!" Naruto snarled, the cursed seal on his neck starting to flare. To his surprise, Ino only spared a short look at the strange seal on his neck before glaring back at him.

"Traitor."

That one word sent the boy back on his hands. Traitor? Could he be called that? The boy shook his head furiously as his answer. No, his village betrayed **him**.

"Don't call me that, you have no idea at all why I left." Naruto hissed. Ino's hate-filled gaze never left him and it was having the effect of making the Oto-nin feel smaller than an insect on the forest floor.

To his relief, Ino broke the stare and snorted. "It doesn't matter." the blonde girl sighed in resignation. "So, what are you going to do now? Kill me? Make me pay for whatever grudge you have against your own home?"

"I don't hold grudges, that's why I didn't dispose you all the first day you were here. My mission isn't to kill you, it's to kill the bridge builder." Naruto explained. Ino blinked at that and tilted her head in thought when something came to her.

"Like you could beat Sasuke!" Ino hissed.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at this and smiled a little. "No '-kun' at the end of that? Don't tell me you've grown-up a bit and moved on to someone better..." The boy tilted his head with a smirk. "Anyone I know?"

"That's none of your damn business!" Ino hissed though clenched teeth. What was it with boys her own age, were they all this annoying?

Naruto was about to say something else but both he and the blonde girl were silenced by a wave of malevolent chakra rolling over the forest.

The blonde girl's breath was taken away as she felt the chakra. "What the hell was that..." she asked.

"Tayuya...did she...?" Naruto shook his head for a moment before sliding his kitsune mask back on. "Look, I'm going to leave you here so be a good little girl, right?" Naruto stated rather than questioned.

"Yeah, right." Ino said with obvious sarcasm. Naruto gave her a smirk; he couldn't waste time arguing when Tayuya might need him. With one last look at the helpless blonde, the masked Oto-nin dashed off towards the edge of the forest.

"Bastard." Ino said smugly. "No matter how high-up he's gotten in another village, Naruto is still Naruto." The blonde girl smiled as she used her foot to draw the Oto-nin's dropped kunai closer to her hands, good thing he left in such a hurry or he never would have forgotten it. Ino still had a sinking feeling in her gut because the dark chakra was near the bridge Sakura was going to be guarding.

"If anything happens to her I'll..." Ino let the threat hang. No matter what problems she and her large-foreheaded friend were having, if Sakura got hurt there were no words that could describe what she would do to the offending party...

_**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/**_  
**--A Few Minutes Ago--**  
_**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ **_

Things were not going well for Sasuke...at all. Sure, he was an Uchiha genius and he had activated the first level of his Sharingan, but what use was being able to follow your opponents movements when you couldn't do anything about it? A vicious kick caught him in the jaw and cut-off his whining; he was sure he would have heard bone crack if the sound-nulling jutsu wasn't still in effect. As it was, the Uchiha could only defend as the irate redhead pressed her attack. What was worse was that her power was still growing.

Tayuya smirked at the boy barley managed to deflect a right hook she threw at him. with a quick pivot, she brought her left knee up and sent him skidding back. By now, her cursed seal was winding itself all around her body and the small shuriken would inflicted by the Uchiha early in the match didn't even bother her.

Her chakra was flaring and she felt something stir she hadn't felt since Orochimaru made her eat those strange pills that forced her second stage curse. She didn't remember much about that experience but Tayuya knew something was trying to get out; it was as if something were clawing at her soul and for once, she didn't put up a fuss at being directed by a force other than her own will.

Kakashi arrived just in time to witness something terrifying. Sakura was lying in a heap off the side of the bridge and Sasuke's mouth was bleeding profusely; he was amazed the boy could still stand. Kakashi's Sharingan was spinning wildly in irritation, these kids were **_his _**team. He would never let any of them become another Obito, not ever again would he make anyone else live though the hell of losing a comrade.

His resolve was only strengthen when the ground at the Oto-nin's feet started to hiss, the water around her turning to steam. The pressure of her chakra was enough that Kakashi estimated she had as much power as Zabuza at half-strength; and it was still growing. The Jounin knew that the power was forced by the Cursed Seal that was quickly enveloping what normal-colored skin was left on her. With an inhuman screech from the girl, Kakashi prepared for the worst, what he witnessed was a glimpse into hell itself as the very air around him seemed to shake...

_**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ **_

Naruto sped though the thick forest fighting down the urge to rip his hair out in frustration. An absolute titanic amount of chakra was growing in the direction of the bridge where his partner was. He didn't know what kind of trouble Tayuya had gotten into, but he was certain the redhead would be right in the thick of it. Without even noticing, his Hell Seal's chain tattoos started to snake around his body and his eyes had turned to their to a more menacing yellow pupil on black iris design.

The moment he cleared the tree line, he was hit by a new wave of dark chakra. Naruto strained to see the figures on the bridge; he could see Kakashi and Sasuke-teme but Sakura was nowhere in his line of sight. The most surprising thing was a familiar-looking figure with long, flowing red hair. Not even looking at anything more than the figure's silhouette, he quickly started his way down to the bridge.

Making sure to give the Copy-nin a wide birth, Naruto appeared to the side of his partner. It was only then that he noticed the very distinct changes she had gone though. Her normally bound hair was flowing freely, her skin was a dark tan color, and what was the most glaring change was the set of white horns adorning her head and the yellow eyes in place of her usual brown. What was more, her chakra felt like a physical force pressing against his skin.

As Naruto looked her over, he let out a low whistle. "Wow, not half bad, Tayuya-hime." Of course, he immediately noticed his distinct lack of voice and shook his head. Naruto gathered some chakra and placed his hands in a double seal. "Kai!"

Tayuya wheeled around at the sudden sound behind her. Her yellow eyes widened at the sight of her irksome partner and she sighed. "Where he hell were you?-!" she barked. The added effect of the eyes and horns gave her patented glare a super-charged effect that made Naruto flinch.

"Uh, well…I had a bit of a problem with Ino…anyway, what the heck is this?" Naruto asked, gesturing to her new look. "You hit level two first!" he accused as if he was offended by the action.

Tayuya smirked and in the process revealed a long set of fangs that had grew-in. "Heh, always remember that I'm better, bitch." she taunted, striking a cocky pose.

Kakashi, suddenly very aware of the trouble he was in, started to run though his viable options. He could probably take the girl but with Naruto here that could complicate things. If he had the ability to go to this new level it would be extremely troublesome. Already Naruto's eyes were yellow and his seal was winding itself around him; he could go at any minute.

"Hey...where's Zabuza and Haku?" Naruto asked as he looked around. He felt a pang of sympathy when he saw Sakura sprawled-out on the bridge. Luckily, she was still breathing. Sasuke, on the other hand, looked like he got into a fight with a meat grinder. His face was one big bruise and his jaw looked to cracked or broken; he must have really pissed off Tayuya.

In response to Naruto's question, the demon-like girl pointed to Kakashi. "He was the last person I saw fighting Zabuza, ask him." Naruto turned to him with a raised eyebrow that obviously meant for the Copy-nin to explain.

"Zabuza...well, he's dead." Kakashi deadpanned, his hand snaking up to a pocket on his vest but stopping short. "The boy is somewhere back there, he won't be up for awhile, though."

Naruto gritted his teeth. He may have not liked Zabuza but the man was one of his teammates for this mission while Haku had become something of a friend. Subconsciously, the Hell Seal started to wind itself onto more of the boy's skin.

Kakashi's fingers itched; something had to give. He looked over to Sasuke and was pleased to note, that for once, the boy was not giving into his ego and was steering clear of the fight; Sakura was far enough to the side that she should not be affected by anything that happened.

"So, are we going to kick this shits ass or what?" Tayuya asked, gesturing to the Jounin. Kakashi's hand shot up to his hitai-ate, ready to uncover his Sharingan at a moment's notice.

The fox-masked boy took a glance at the bridge behind them; the bridge builder must have gotten away in the chaos of the fight. "Sure but let's make it quick; we still have Tazuna to kill."

Tayuya smirked; the effect of her second-stage form making it seem down right demonic. "Yeah, let's tear it up!"

On that sentence, Naruto and Tayuya rushed the famous Copy-nin. The redhead got to the man first and opened with a baseball slide which Kakashi leapt over. He dodged Naruto mid-leap and caught the boy in the back of the skull with his fist as he passed. Shaking off the effect once he was on the ground, Naruto held his palms out and started to draw chakra.

**_"Zankuuha!" _**The slicing gale ripped across the bridge and seemingly hit the stunned Jounin full-on. To Naruto's consternation, however, his target disappeared in a plume of smoke leaving a battered steel girder in his place. "Damn, a Kawarimi!" he hissed. He spun around just in time to see a kunai headed towards his face. Before he could dodge, it was batted out of the air by a shuriken. Naruto spared a smile in Tayuya's direction as he rushed the silver-haired Konoha-nin again.

Tayuya, sizing-up Naruto's attack, sprinted towards Kakashi at an angle to try and limit his field of movement. She was caught unawares when a kick blindsided her and knocked the stunned Oto-nin onto her back. The figure above her only looked on with impassive eyes as it fluidly drew a kunai and lunged. With considerable effort, Tayuya was able to kick the implement out of the Leaf-nin's hands and get in a punch before the bunshin dissipated in a cloud of smoke.

"Kage Bunshin!" Tayuya hissed. That seemed to be the queue for several clones to appear around her, catching her in a circle. "Wow, what a shitty challenge." she droned as she watched Naruto get humiliated by the real leaf-nin. Kakashi was dodging all of the white-haired boy's attacks and wasn't even using his Sharingan.

Naruto threw another punch that Kakashi seemingly flowed around. The more experienced shinobi dodged to the side and brought his knee up into Naruto's gut causing the boy to double over. Naruto willed himself to his feet and spit out a small glob of blood. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tayuya dealing with a mass of Kage Bunshin's. Their coordinated attacks were causing the Oto-nin some trouble so it would be unlikely that she would be able to help him at the moment.

Whipping what little bit of blood was left on his lips, Naruto ran though a set of seals. Kakashi cursed when he saw the sequence and pulled out the small scroll he was saving for later. With a flourish of practiced movement, he unraveled it, sliced his thumb open, and ran though a set of seals himself during the same time it took Naruto to finish his. **_"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" _**

Two distance clouds of smoke erupted from the bridge. On one side stood Naruto atop the head of an enormous serpent. The snake hissed menacingly as it's senses picked-up the other summoned animal. To be more correct, Kakashi has summoned dogs, lots of dogs. Naruto made a quick headcount of the animals and counted eight of the little devils.

"So...you also know the Kuchiyose no Jutsu." Naruto commented, a bit surprised. Kakashi, on the other hand, looked like he had seen a ghost.

The Copy-nin looked at the large serpentine form looming above him and bit down a curse. "So, you have met Orochimaru?" he asked.

Naruto narrowed his eyes behind his mask; this man was getting on his nerves. "What makes you say that? Who's Orochimaru?"

"Don't even try! That man took the summon contract for snakes when he left the village; as you can summon them, you must have met him along the way. I would imagine that's where you and the girl got your Cursed Seals...it makes sense. He must be in Hidden Sound, are they harboring him?" Kakashi asked. When Naruto said nothing, the famous Jounin shrugged. "It doesn't matter now, you'll be taken back to Konoha and interrogated."

"What makes you think you will even leave here alive?" the boy asked. As he saw it, all the cards were in his favor at the moment.

Kakashi sighed. "Just because you have something bigger than me doesn't mean it will win. If you look at the situation, you would see that." the Jounin lectured. With the flick of his wrist, he set his nin-dogs upon the serpent.

With surprising speed, the lead dog, a rather large bulldog, reached the surprised snake summons. It not its summoner was expecting such a swift attack and before the snake could raise a defense, the dogs were upon the reptile like a swarm of ants; biting, scratching, and tearing at the larger animal. Naruto cursed and pulled out several kunai to assist his besieged steed but never got he chance to use them as Kakashi sent a barrage of his own at the cursed Oto-nin. Naruto fended most of these off but several of the deadly implements embedded into the head of his summoned creature causing even more damage.

Tayuya, who had just got finished with the last of the Kakashi clones, rushed to draw some of the attention away from her teammate. In a flash of motion, she was behind Kakashi and lashing out at him with her flute. He caught her hand and flipped her head-over-heels onto the ground. With a feral cry, she tried a leg sweep but to no avail; it was as if he could predict her movements. An inhuman cry caused both combatants to look over to where the giant serpent had once been. Thick pools of blood were the only things left as the berated snake disappeared in a grand cloud of smoke.

Tayuya heard several yips of pain come from the smog and waited with choppy breath; this new form was taxing her body. Suddenly, a large body hurtled out of the cloud and landed in a heap before Kakashi. The Leaf-nin's eyes widened in surprise as one of his nin-dogs disappeared right in front of him. "What...?"

"**_Ninpou: Kyokudai Zankuuha!" _**Upon hearing the attacks name, Tayuya leapt away from the confused Leaf-nin and she was glad she did. The large cloud of smoke was swept away by the power of the _Maximum Air Slicing Blast _as Kakashi, and to a lesser degree Sasuke and the still unconscious Sakura, were hurtled away by the tremendous winds. Tayuya landed outside of the main effect area but still had to hold on to a concrete pillar of the bridge to prevent becoming airborne.

Kakashi maneuvered mid-flight to avoid the pieces of steel and stone that came flying with him. The sheer power of that attack was staggering and only someone with the chakra stamina of Naruto could possibly pull it off. The Jounin managed to land on his feet about 200 feet down the bridge from the boy. The chakra Naruto was emitting was massive; easily twice as strong as the girl when she had reached her current form, and it was still growing.

"I have to end this..." he decided. With three distinct seals, he ran at the still-swirling orb of smoke that was left over from the summoned animals being dispelled. **_"Raikiri_**!**"**

As he drew closer to the smoke, he could feel the crushing weight of Naruto's dark chakra. It was menacing, the second most evil chakra he had ever felt in his short life. Still on his charge, he could just see a very stunned Ino appear by the unconscious Sakura. He was glad the girl managed to get away but also sad; it would be another person to witness the death of an old friend. Steeling himself, he plunged into the mass of smoke, finally feeling resistance give-way against his ultimate jutsu and the most inhuman wail the Copy-nin had ever heard...

_**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ **_

Ino was scared; no denying that. After finally sawing though the ropes that blinded her feet, she managed to flip the kunai up to her hands to escape. The sounds of battle that she picked-up from the direction of the bridge only served to spur her on to greater speeds.

Finally breaking the tree line, she was immediately berated by fierce winds that had before been blocked by the trees. The dust that was kicked up by whatever attack caused it was cutting at her arms as Ino tried to cover her sensitive eyes.

"What the hell was that?" Ino wondered aloud as the attack lessened. She could see a cloud of smoke settle around a large form in the middle of the bridge; the kunoichi didn't even want to fathom what that was.

Scanning for her friends, one in particular, she was drawn to a bright light several hundred feet down the bridge from the Oto-nins. She made the leap from the forest to the bridge and started running down the structure to get to whatever that light was. Tazuna-san was nowhere to be seen, not that Ino was looking for the old man. It seemed cruel, but there was only one thing on her mind at the moment and that kept her from caring about the killing intent coming from further down the bridge.

Ino's breath hitched when she caught sight of a stray blotch of pink hair. Running over to the pile of rubble, the blonde kunoichi struggled to move the large sections of debris away from her teammate. Sakura was battered, bruised, cut, and bleeding from several larger gashes but she was alive. Ino couldn't help it; she drew the unconscious girl close and sobbed quietly as she brushed stray strands of hair from Sakura's face.

"Idiot! Do you have any idea how worried I was? You stupid, stupid, big-foreheaded jerk!" she croaked. Most of her words came out as unrecognizable sobs, but it made the blonde feel better to vent.

Sakura strained to open her eyes; she felt like she had gotten run over by a train. Her entire body ached and her ears were most definitely ringing from whatever hit had caused her to lose consciousness. To her immense surprise, she found herself being cradled by someone. Her hear raced; what if it was Sasuke? With that still in mind, she forced her eyes to open, expecting to see the stoic Uchiha fussing over her. What she discovered instead was a distraught Ino clutching onto her.

"I-Ino...?" Sakura gasped. The blonde girl struggled to reign-in her emotions as she pulled back enough to look at her friend's face. Looking at the tear-stained face of Ino, Sakura felt something stir in the back of her mind that was completely foreign to her. Ino must have felt a similar feeling because her eyes widened slightly and she stifled a gasp. Whatever the feeling was, it was growing in intensity the more the pink-haired kunoichi stared into the gray eyes of her former best friend. Without even knowing it, both girl had closed a slight amount of distance between them without either noticing. With growing anxiaty, they inched closer and closer, both wondering what was happening betwen them and why they didn't want to stop it...

"**Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!" **The pained scream of Kakashi brought both kunoichi back into the real world. Ino pulled back so fast her ponytail whipped her back and Sakura erupted into coughing fits, her face flushed. It was silently agreed upon by both friend that they would discuss this later before they turned to see what could have possibly caused their ultra-stoic sensei to yell like that.

Sakura's blush soon drained from her face along with the rest of her blood as both girls discovered the reason why the great Copy-nin would loose his cool. After all, both of them would have done the same thing if they were caught in the jaws of a black-coated fox the size of a small house...

* * *

And I think I'll end this here. I love cliffhangers, don't you? Hope you liked the chapter; sorry for the long wait! I know alot of you were looking forward to the Haku and Kakashi fight but come on; if Kakashi beat Zabuza he can beat Haku. Sorry if it came-out kinda weak. See you all next update! 

PS: It's late so I'll fix any mistakes in this chapter tomorrow; sorry if you catch any. Also, if you like the Naruto/Tayuya pairing, checkout my other story, "Dueling Harmonies" which is a hundred times better than this one character-wise. You can get to it from my profile!

**-Jutsu List!-

* * *

**  
**_Oton: Hachou Konmei_**_** (Sound Release: Wavelength Confusion)**_  
Tayuya uses her flute to disrupt the sound waves in the air making everyone in the immediate area unable to hear sound; user and allies included.

**_Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Skill)_**  
This Jutsu, using a contract, Seal, and the user's blood, binds an animal to the user. The type of animal is determined by the contract and Seal performed. The blood is used as a signature to make the contract, which can be written on a scroll or tattoo, valid. Once bound, the animal can be summoned to perform a task or help the user in battle.

_**Ninpou: Kyokudai Zankuuha(Ninja Skill: Maximum Air Slicing Blast)**_  
Spend a massive about of chakra to force the sound waves to titanic proportions. A powered up version of the Zankuuna.

**_Raikiri_**  
Kakashi's only original jutsu. It is more powerful than the Chidori because the master is the one using it. Unlike the Chidori, it doesn't cause much noise. I come to the conclusion based on the Manga that makes no mention of the Raikiri making any bird noises when Kakashi uses it.


	11. Wave of Worry

Hey! Welcome to a new chapter of Sounding in the Dark. The responses from last time were staggering to say the least, thanks so much for your support! Sorry that the update has taken so long; I really don't have an excuse for it...

Anyway; you know, as much as I love yuri it's very hard to write. I wanted to get a bit of Sakura/Ino fluff in here and there between the blood and gore (which you all love) and it just took a bit (a lot) of time to write...anyway; read, review, and enjoy the next-to-last chapter of the Wave Country Arc!

**"Rawr, baby; very rawr." ** demon-ish speech.

Big thanks to my new beta, JohnnyG, for letting me kill so much of his free time. Kudos to him for cleaning my style up.

**Disclaimer no Jutsu:** I don't own Naruto so _do _sue me! Ha, I go against the grain, baby. Really, though, don't sue me.

This chapter is dedicated to the one Steve Irwin. R.I.P., mate.

--------------------------  
**Chapter 11: Wave of Worry**  
--------------------------

Kakashi was caught like a rat, literally. The black kitsune had its ethereal fangs buried deep in his shoulder and what was more, they burned something fierce. The black wisps of dark chakra flared as the beast growled into the Jounin's shoulder, baring more of it's teeth. Red eyes bore into the Jounin's own as flashbacks from the Kyuubi attack assaulted his scenes. The pure killing intent the creature was giving off was threatening to overwhelm him. Kakashi knew he had to do something drastic if he was going to save his arm.

**"Raikiri!" **Kakashi yelled for the third time in the battle as his free hand sparked to life. With an electrified thrust, the giant fox recoiled with a sharp yelp as it's head was torn apart by the unstoppable attack. With as much energy as he could spare, Kakashi leapt back, away from the headless apparition.

Ino helped Sakura to her feet, ready to carry her away from the bridge if it came to that. Kakashi landed near the pair completely out of breath, bleeding from the deep wounds in his shoulder, rendering his left arm useless. Even more, he was sweating profusely and looked ready to pass out at any moment. As it was, the copy-nin had to cover his Sharingan and use a piece of rubble as a crutch to hold himself upright.

The black fox staggered on it's feet as all watched in wordless abatement. Black wisps of chakra started to wind around a center point, drawing into something as if it were a fog that wouldn't release whatever was emitting it. Gradually, it started to form a human-like shape and a flash of spiky, white hair appeared from the top of the shroud. A light-red colored arm raised out of the black chakra and drew into a fist. That motion caused most of the chakra to recede, leaving the figure in clear view.

"N-Naruto?" Tayuya questioned as she ventured over to him.

The..._creature_...before her only bared the slightest resemblance to her partner. The boy's hair had grown long in the back and now ended at his hips. His skin had changed as well; what was once a normal skin tone had shifted to the same hue as her own. The two most striking changes, however, were the slitted, yellow eyes and the twin white horns that curved over from the top of his head and followed the cascading white hair down, ending near the small of Naruto's back.

Naruto's eyes snapped up and met Tayuya's. Several long moments passed before his lips curled up into a grin that was accented by his new angular teeth. Overall, the elite Sound-nin looked very much like something that crawled out of hell. "Tayuya-hime, how's the new look?" he asked in a slightly deeper voice, but still carrying the same joviality of the Naruto she knew.

The cursed kunoichi smirked back; of course the idiot wouldn't change too much attitude-wise. "Pretty good, but still not as nice as me."

"Heh, you may be right," Naruto admitted as he twisted around to get a look at his new form. "Nice, nice...I like my fox form better, though."

"Is that what that thing was?" the girl asked. "What the hell did you do?" she demanded, making sure to keep an eye on the Konoha-nin's further down the bridge.

The white-haired Oni shrugged. "I have no idea. I just felt a pull from my chakra and that's the form that popped out. You won't believe what it's like, Tayuya-chan!" the demonic boy stated with a lopsided smirk. "What I really want to do, though..." he turned towards the group of Leaf shinobi, "...is see what this body can do."

Tayuya mirrored her partner's sentiments. "Yeah, these shits have been breathing way too long. We need to finish up here and get back to Oto so we can use the other guys as practice dummies. Think you can finish this up before we have to change back?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Orochimaru-sama said it's not good to stay in these forms too long."

Naruto's answer was just a simple wave. "Kakashi's half-dead, Sasuke is no match for us even when he's at one hundred percent, and the girls will probably take off at the first chance since they're smarter than the other two." He laughed. "Our mission is to take out the old man, though. He's probably in the village by now so we can't waste time here."

"Whatever, dumbass," Tayuya growled. "Let's just get past this trash and get that old geezer."

With that said, Tayuya started to draw more chakra from her new reserves. Naruto smiled fondly at her before starting to do the same. Twin black wisps of chakra started to form under his feet along with a small tint of red. The two spots split and moved away from each other as Naruto's eyes bled red. The four dark shadows of chakra started to lengthen and grow until four ethereal legs surrounded the boy.

Tayuya caught on to what was happening and put some distance between herself and her partner, slightly jealous of the sheer power he was radiating.

Further down the bridge, Kakashi narrowed his visible eye at the forming shape of the same black fox he had just dealt with moments ago. "He takes one of my Raikiri, doesn't even bat an eye at it, and he can reform that chakra-shroud with a single thought." the Jounin appraised. He spared a glance at his students and felt a shiver go up his spine; they would not survive if they challenged Naruto in this form.

"Sasuke, Sakura, Ino!" he called out. "Get to the village and evacuate Tazuna-san and the villagers. I'll try to stop them here but in case I can't do it you all have to take charge of the mission."

Ino and Sakura nodded while Sasuke could do little more but glare as he couldn't speak due to a broken jaw. The long-haired blonde helped her friend up and together the two kunoichi broke into a run towards the other end of the bridge. Sasuke moved as swiftly as he could and managed to keep up with his teammates.

Tayuya narrowed her eyes at the retreating Genin. Turing towards the kitsune apparition, which still unnerved her quite a bit, she pointed at the trio. "They'll try and hide the target!" she hissed. The Demon Fox snarled in response and started walking towards Kakashi at a weary speed.

"Oh, so you did feel those attacks since you're being a bit more careful, huh?" the copy-nin mused. He snapped the top to his hip pouch and pulled out a small bag. A small blue pill slipped out into his palm. "It's a good thing the Nara clan makes these available to Jounin..."

The black kitsune narrowed it's eyes; that wasn't a standard soldier pill. Tayuya seemed to notice it as well and shot the beast a sideways glance.

"We have to end this quick since these bodies can kill us if we stay level two for a prolonged period of time," she reminded him. The massive fox gave her a small nod before bursting into a fury of motion, charging the Jounin.

"Here he comes..." The copy-nin pulled down his mask enough to slip the blue Houren pill into his mouth. Pain laced every nerve ending in his body as he felt his nutrient reserves being converted into chakra. The weight of exhaustion that dissipated upon eating the pill was more than welcome, however. Running through a set of hand seals, he aimed to knock Naruto out of the fight long enough to deal with the kunoichi. **_"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"_**

The water dragon rose from the ocean below the bridge and swept over the one-tailed Kitsune like a living tidal wave, capturing the fox in it's watery jaws and sending it over the side of the bridge. Tayuya cursed under her breath and brought her weapon to her lips. Before she could play, however, several kunai were sent at her from the copy-nin to interrupt her Genjutsu.

The cursed girl batted the steel weapons away and braced herself for a fight when she observed Kakashi barreling down on her.

"_**Kiatsudangan!" **_

Kakashi veered off his line of attack as the section of bridge in front of him literally exploded from the bottom up. Concrete and steel pushed their way upwards as if a hellish garden of modern art were springing from the ground at an impossible rate. As the rubble settled, the looming form of a one-tailed kitsune glared at the famous copy-nin.

"Pressure bullet, huh?" Kakashi deadpanned. The red eyes of an enraged Jinchuuriki glaring at him was the only response he received.

The fox growled in annoyance; how the bothersome Jounin recovered so quickly was something he didn't understand. The fact that he almost harmed Tayuya fueled his bloodlust even more so than being knocked into the water. Craning his massive head to the side, the Jinchuuriki motioned that the redhead should go past Kakashi and go towards the city.

Tayuya suppressed the urge to kick the massive projection in it's head. "I'm not your damn support on this mission!" she growled. "Why don't you go deal with the brats and leave this shit to me?"

**"Because you're almost at your limit," **Naruto replied in a very growl-like voice. **"We'll work together to get you around him but then you finish the mission while I deal with him. I'll come help once he's gone, promise." **the fox growled. Naruto even gave her a tooth-filled smile in his new form.

The kunoichi smirked back, her confidence back in full-force once again. At an unvoiced signal, the two demonic Oto-nins rushed a very worried Kakashi...

**_/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/_**

"What the hell was that thing, Ino?" Sakura asked as the pair ran towards the city.

The long-haired blonde grimaced. It wasn't a matter of _what _it was; rather, _who _it was that she found difficult to answer. "He...was an elite Oto-nin." she answered. It wasn't a lie, only vague. Ino hoped Sakura would be too distracted to question farther.

Sakura nodded, much to Ino's relief, and looked back at Sasuke. The boy's jaw had stopped bleeding but it was obvious by his lack of dialogue that he could not speak. Well, that's what the two kunoichi's guessed since the Uchiha wasn't all that talkative to begin with.

A loud explosion from behind them only served to increase their speed in earnest. They had to get Tazuna out of the city or maybe even Wave Country if he was to survive.

_'I hope Kakashi-sensei makes it out of there in one piece...' _Ino thought. Speaking of their team leader...

"Sakura, who's in charge now?"

The pink-haired girl blinked. That was a good question. "Um...well...Sasuke-kun? He is the strongest one here." she noted.

Ino grimaced; her friend was still extolling the Uchiha right after he got his ass handed to him; unbelievable. The blonde decided to go with logic Sakura couldn't deny.

"He can't really give orders like he is now, Saukra." Ino deadpanned. The raven-haired boy managed to grunt in objection but soon piped down upon feeling the agonizing waves of pain that action caused. He settled for glaring a hole in the back of Ino's head.

There was silence for a few more moments before Ino decided to take a chance and voice her opinion. Making sure she didn't meet Sakura's eyes, Ino started. "I think you should do it, Sakura."

"Me?" Sakura sounded surprised. "I'm not the leader type, Ino," she argued.

"You're the smartest person here and you've seen more of what the Oto-nins can do. If they get past Kakashi-sensei you'll have to tell me what to do," the blonde reasoned.

Sakura still looked hesitant but several more explosions from behind solidified her resolve. "Alright, lets get to Tazuna-san and take him to the wharf. We'll grab a boat and head towards Hidden Mist."

Ino blinked. "Hidden Mist? Why should we do that?"

"Because it's the last thing those two would expect us to do. They will assume we, being new Genins, would go straight towards land and the safety of Konoha," Sakura explained. "Also, they were working with Zabuza, a criminal from that village. They won't risk a war with Mist just to get at us."

Ino nodded, impressed. "That's pretty good, Sakura. The big forehead is useful after all!"

Sakura glared at the other girl but remained silent. Sasuke suddenly turned sharply and drew a kunai. The other two stopped on a tree limb several feet away.

"Sasuke-kun?" The Uchiha held up a hand to stop Sakura as he started to move his other hand in odd movements.

Ino narrowed her eyes at the signs. It was the ANBU code that Iruka had made the class memorize at the Academy. "One person...moving quickly from the...south," she translated.

Sakura's face turned grim. "It's either Kakashi-sensei or one of those Oto-nins."

Sasuke did a few more signs before leaping off into the dense forest. Ino had to hold back Sakura from going after him. "Don't, Sakura!" Ino shouted, keeping a firm hand on her friend's arm. "You understood him just as well as I did, he's going to buy us some time!"

"How can you say that!" Sakura wheeled around to face the blonde. "He might get killed! Don't you even care, Ino! "

The blonde flinched at the tears forming in her friend's eyes. "He knows what he's doing, Sakura," she mumbled, not convinced in the least. If she were being honest, Ino would have to admit the boy just over-estimated himself and was going to get his ass beat. "Anyway, we have to get to Tazuna-san!" she reiterated.

Sakura seemed to think the same as she was reluctant to continue on. Ino finally had enough and physically lifted the girl bridal-style and continued on.

"Ino!" she screeched, kicking her feet helplessly. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Well, you weren't being cooperative so I decided to help you along, wide forehead." Ino smirked with more nonchalance than she felt; the blonde only hoped Sakura would think her blush was from so much running.

Being honest with herself, Ino wasn't exactly sure why she had scooped Sakura up; the pink-haired girl wasn't dumb enough to chase after Sasuke at that moment, but that still didn't stop her body from just reacting. It was an opportunity to get away with something like this and have a semi-reasonable excuse to do it.

Sakura stuck out her lower lip and glared at Ino. This was the second time she was in Ino's arms like this. The first time she had imagined Sasuke being the one to hold her, but this time she couldn't slip into that fantasy since she was very much aware of what was going on.

Gradually, she stopped putting up a fight and resigned herself to being carried around by her friend. To her surprise, it wasn't all that bad and she actually found herself leaning into the golden-haired girl. Of course, the pink-haired Genin fervently told herself the only reason she was allowing this to go on was because she was still recovering from the battle with the red-haired Oto-nin.

Another large explosion in the forest behind the pair let them know that things were heating up behind them. Luckily, the two were out of the forest now and just coming into the town. To their surprise, Tazuna was standing atop a cart and seemed to be gathering people to him in the town square.

"Are we just going to let someone come in and destroy our last hope?" the old man yelled from his vantage point. A crowd was starting to grow, some of them calling him a fool, most brandishing pitchforks calling for a united defense.

Ino leapt building by building and, in a feat of acrobatics, landed next to the startled construction master. The motion was so hectic, that Sakura 'eeped' and gripped Ino's neck with her arms, almost chocking the poor kunoichi.

Tazuna blinked; it wasn't every day two teenagers jump from the top of a two-story building. When they started to yell at one another, the blonde one about almost getting strangled, he remembered their names.

"Ino! Sakura!" he said in sudden recognition. "Did you win? Are Zabuza and the others gone?" The crowd also seemed to listening intently for the answer, ignoring the oddness of the scene for the moment.

Sakura released her hold on Ino's neck and, with a strange pang of reluctance, hopped out of the blonde's arms. "Listen everyone," she started, addressing the entire crowd. "The Oto-nin's hired by Gatou are much stronger than we originally thought, we have to evacuate the entire town before they get here!"

The people in the square starting to murmur amongst themselves; even Tazuna looked doubtful. "The _entire _town? Are you certain? There are only four of them."

Ino shook her head. "It's only two of them, I didn't see Zabuza or that other guy." At that, some of the people in the crowd started to cheer, much to the two Konoha-nin's alarm.

"You don't understand! That Oto-nin with the white hair has a summoning contract, he could level this place!" Sakura argued.

"That's right, and he's also got some weird chakra thing that turns him into a giant fox! We don't even know if Kakashi-sensei will be able to beat him!" she yelled to the people.

When yet another explosion rocked through the forest next to the town, all eyes turned towards the plume of dust in the distance. Then...someone screamed. This setoff a chain reaction ending with everyone present trying to flee all at once.

Ino and Sakura looked out over the swell of people with a mortified expression; it was hell below them. As more explosions sounded, the crowd became even more reckless in it's attempt to disperse.

From his makeshift podium, Tazuna was yelling at various workmen, who were doubling as his crowd control, to get the people settled down but to little effect. Fortunately, the helpers soon gave up on trying to calm the crowd down and instead focused on just getting the people out safely.

"Well...that could have gone better," Ino admitted as she and Sakura looked out over the now empty town square. Several carts of goods were overturned with their products strewn about.

Tazuna nodded, still a bit numb from the scene he had just witnessed. Sakura turned and grabbed his arm to snap the old man out of his shock.

"We have to get you out of this city!" she hissed.

Ino also snapped to attention and whipped out a kunai. Sweeping her eyes over the vacant streets, she especially watched the approach from the forest. Now that there were no people around, the three of them were sticking out like a sore thumb.

Sakura, sensing Ino's distress, not-so-gently pulled the old man along with her despite his complaints at the treatment.

"Be quiet! You need to leave before those two Oto-nins get here!" Sakura argued when the man's resistance picked up.

"I can't leave my family!" he protested, still digging his heels into the hard stone of the street. "We have to make sure they left the city before I'll go anywhere, I'd rather die than leave them!"

"That's good since you'll be dieing right here. No regrets on sentiments unfulfilled."

All eyes turned towards the rooftop above them where a redheaded girl was glaring at them. It took Sakura a moment to place her face without the horns and red skin. "You..."

Tayuya smirked; such an effect she had on people. Almost faster than the two Konoha kunoichi's could follow, Tayuya was several paces to their front with her flute already fidgeting between her fingers.

"What did you do to Sasuke-kun?" Sakura demanded as she took up a defensive position in front of Tazuna. Ino mirrored her action and pushed the man further back.

The Oto-nin chuckled, ignoring the pain in her chest. She had been forced to disengage her second-level curse shortly after the fight with the pompous Uchiha so her current chakra reserves were almost non-existent. That didn't stop her from bluffing her opponents, however.

"You mean that whiny bitch I busted up at the bridge? I can't believe that shit thought he could actually beat me. It's a good thing he's not in any condition to register pain because I'm sure his jaw would give him hell right about now." Tayuya smirked.

Sakura let out the breath she had been holding. So, Sasuke was still alive? That was one less thing to worry about in her opinion. "Tazuna-san," she started, not taking her eyes off of the enemy kunoichi. "Ino and I will keep her busy while you get your family and get out of here. No more heroics!"

At the order, the old man nodded and made a break for safety. Tayuya growled at the action but before she could make an offensive move, she had to dodge a kunai aimed for her head.

Ino's eye twitched as her blade sailed harmlessly through a sea of red hair, missing it's target. "Still got some fight left in you, huh?" she asked, obviously eyeing the nin's current state.

"Don't think for a second you can win." Tayuya snarled. "You shits are no match for me no matter what form I'm in."

Seeing that the redhead was all business, Ino motioned for Sakura to try and get on the other side of Tayuya. After a small nod of agreement from her teammate, Ino was running towards the tired Oto-nin.

The assault caught the redhead off-guard; she had thought they'd try and run. Tayuya quickly brought her flute up to block Ino's kunai stroke and used her free hand to block Ino's side kick.

Sakura, seeing an opening, shoulder tackled the Oto kunoichi sending her sprawling on the cold cobblestone. Tayuya gathered her wits enough to roll to the side to avoid Sakura's follow-up heel drop and quickly spun her body so she could sweep the pink-haired girl's feet from under her.

The maneuver would have worked if Ino hadn't slammed her foot down fast enough to block the move. Sakura sent Ino a small smile in thanks before the two Konoha-nin took up a defensive position back-to-back to cover each other's defenses.

Tayuya was on her feet by this time and quickly put some distance between her and the two kunoichi. Looking at how they were looking out for one another, she growled low in her throat. "You shits..."

"Heh, I think you should give up now," Ino stated smugly.

"Without that freaky seal you're not much, huh?" Sakura observed, genuinely surprised with how they were dominating the fight. She also found she worked well with Ino and made a mental note of that for the future.

_'Damn! Where the hell is that bastard, Naruto!' _Tayuya snarled mentally while using this little break to keep the blood down her throat; it wouldn't be good to let her opponents know she was so damaged. _'I stayed in the second level too long...'_

Tayuya, for once, didn't have a scathing comeback to shout at her opponents as she couldn't waste valuable time catching her breath with talking. Looking at the confident faces of Sakura and Ino, the older girl had to wonder if she looked like that all the time.

_'Oh well, I better at least be standing when that idiot gets here or he'll never let me live it down.' _With that thought in mind, Tayuya drew into a offensive stance to meet her attackers head-on...

**_/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/_**

"_**Kiatsudangan!" **_

Kakashi leapt from his concrete perch as it imploded in a shower of stones. The bridge was marked with potholes and there were downed pillars everywhere; the copy-nin used one of these as cover as he started another jutsu.

_"Kirigakure no Jutsu..." _The hidden mist jutsu intensified due to the already foggy atmosphere of the bridge and Kakashi faded from existence.

The cursed kitsune growled in annoyance as the gray mist settled over the battlefield. His long tail swished angrily, trying to bat the jutsu away to little effect; it was chakra-imbued mist, after all.

Kakashi was already out of the mist before Naruto could even begin to fathom a plan. Jumping off the bridge to the water below, Kakashi ran though a large set of hand seals while trying his best to ignore the burning pain the Houren pill was causing him.

**_"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!" _**Since he was closer to the source of his ammunition, Kakashi didn't waste very much chakra summoning the massive blast of water. It ripped through the underside of the bridge with the screeching sound of metal being twisted by the massive cyclone of water.

The assault continued until a geyser of water erupted from the mist still clinging to the top of the bridge. With the damage sustained before the attack, the supports for that section failed and a 100-foot block of bridge collapsed into the water below.

Kakashi narrowly dodged the falling rock and debris from where he was standing. He even had to make a break for the remaining part of the bridge to avoid the wall of water that sprung from the impact. Seeing the destruction, he sighed deeply. "Well...Tazuna isn't going to like this."

"You little..."

Kakashi watched with a mix of disbelief, horror, and annoyance as the form of a now humanish Naruto water-walked out of the cloud of dust that had shaken loose from the assault.

The white-haired demon was bleeding from several places and was looking quite pissed, his former smirk gone. The thought that the boy was no longer thinking of this as a game was a small victory for the Jounin, however.

"So...ready to give up, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, trying to keep the pain the Houren pill was causing him out of his voice.

Naruto bared his impressive array of teeth in a growl. "My mission isn't finished," he snarled. "And I have to get back to Tayuya-chan! **Zankuuna!"**

The sudden blast of air caught Kakashi sleeping and he had to somersault in midair to keep from falling into the water. The cursed boy didn't give him much reprieve as Naruto immediately pushed the attack. With the added strength and speed boost his opponent gained from activating his seal, Kakashi was finding it difficult to stay in command of the taijutsu battle. Having to conserve his chakra made this even more difficult.

Finally, Kakashi pushed his young opponent back enough to make a break for the tree-line. As it stood, he had no chance of overpowering the boy in a wide-open space. Choosing the forest was his best chance at quickly killing his opponent, so Kakashi abandoned his former position and darted into the trees.

"Coward!" Naruto growled. The transformed Oto-nin quickly gave chase and followed his prey into the dense foliage.

The more experienced Jounin schooled his body to silent running as he darted through the trees. He could hear Naruto tearing a swath of forest behind him so he picked up the pace a bit.

Rummaging through his weapons pouch, he pulled out wire, explosive tags, smoke bombs, and several flares; his entire stock of supplies.

"If this doesn't get him..." Kakashi let the sentence hang. If his trap didn't work he would simply have to wait Naruto out until he couldn't use his seal. "Of course, there's no way of telling how long that will take." He sighed.

**"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" **Five Kakashi clones popped into existence a few branches over from the Jounin. He had to be careful to manage the amount of chakra he put into the jutsu; it was a precious thing to him at the moment.

Sending an unvoiced order, the clones nodded and hopped off towards the direction of the bridge. Kakashi watched the little pack of Jounin's go before exploding into action himself, setting up a large-scale trap; all the while praying to whatever powers were out there that the clones could keep Naruto busy for a few minutes...

**_/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/_**

A decoy. In the shinobi world this effective tactic could employ a vast majority of things: a helper animal, a tossed weapon, a feint attack, or even a bunshin. This was the lesson being discovered by a certain white-haired demon as his clawed hands crushed the windpipe of yet another Kage Bunshin.

"That's number four..." Naruto growled in annoyance. He was sporting a few cuts and bruises from the continuous battles but nothing serious; he was more angry than tired.

'I don't have time for this...' he thought as his yellow eyes scanned the forest for the real Kakashi. Suddenly, Naruto leapt into the air as a hand erupted out from the patch of ground where he had just been standing.

**"Zankuuha!" **

The discovered Kakashi just barely avoided the air blast as the hole he had dug exploded from the pressure. The silver-haired Jounin didn't even pause to look back at his opponent and instead started making his way through the thick forest.

Naruto leapt free of the dust cloud his attack had generated, looking for his target. A flash of silver caught his eye and the cursed boy zeroed in on his fleeing opponent.

The chase dragged through the forest for a few hundred feet leaving a swath of destruction in it's wake. In his current situation, Naruto was in no mood to play this professionally; his teammate could be hurt or worse...no, he shook that thought out of his head. It was something the white-haired boy didn't even want to consider.

The Kakashi clone looked back at the marauding human weapon behind him. When the other clones were destroyed, all according to plan, the real Kakashi gained the information they had witnesses as an early warning system; now that the second to last clone had been destroyed, the finishing touches on the trap should be finished. In fact...

"...about time you showed up, Naruto," another Kakashi droned from a treetop perch several yards ahead. To his pursuer's irritation, it was done without the Jounin even taking his eyes off of the Icha Icha Paradise book in his hands.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as the clone he had been chasing disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "I didn't want to kill you but you're costing me time! Why won't you all just give up!" he snarled.

That actually made the Jounin take his eyes off of his reading material. "A Konoha shinobi never leaves a mission unfinished as long as he's alive," Kakashi stated with a slight edge to his voice. It softened as he went back to reading. "You would have known that had you stayed in the village."

"Yeah, stay in the village so I would stay weak, so I would be hunted by the villagers!" Naruto yelled. No matter how much he wanted to hurry, this had to be said. "And for what? What the hell did I do to deserve it!"

Kakashi's visible eye widened and he looked down at the boy with pity. "You mean you actually don't know? Orochimaru never told you after all these years?"

"You know nothing! He took me in, made me strong, gave me a family! He wouldn't keep anything from me!" Naruto snarled.

Whatever response Kakashi could have come up with was forever lost as Naruto launched a Zankuuha blast at the tree the Jounin was sitting on. When Naruto watched the man turn into a cloud of smoke, it was already too late.

The swift mule kick the real Kakashi planted on Naruto's back sent the surprised boy flying forward into the forest. Several strings were tripped by his body as he landed and rolled on the forest floor.

The last thing Naruto saw was the shrinking back of Hatake Kakashi as the pre-made clearing he had been kicked into came alive with the explosion of over a hundred special demolition tags. The resulting firestorm carved out a crater in the forest for several hundred feet.

Setup wise, the plan was quite simple; have several clones buy enough time for the real Kakashi to dig out a large pit and fill it with layer upon layer of Jounin demolition tags. A few trip wires and a hasty Kawarimi no Jutsu with the surviving clone put the Jounin in the perfect position to ambush his less-experienced opponent.

"Still, he didn't deserve the life he was dealt," Kakashi decided from where he had stopped running from the blast. "If only things had worked out better for him, maybe making it into the Academy..."

The Jounin sighed, showing every year of his relatively young age. "Was Naruto destined to die at the hands of the people that were supposed to protect him from birth? I can't blame this on ignorant villagers, though..."

"_**FREEDOM!" **_

That one, bellowing voice caused Kakashi's mind to effectively shutdown. It was the voice that haunted him from over 12 years past, the voice that disturbed his dreams more often than even Obito's...the voice that took his teacher away...

Slowly, Kakashi's gaze rose from the base of the still-smoldering forest to high above the tallest trees...

**_/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/_**

"Explain to me again why we're dragging her along with us," Ino demanded for the fifth time in as many minutes. Currently, an unconscious Tayuya was ridding piggyback on the disgruntled Yamanaka.

Frankly, it was getting on Sakura's nerves and the pink-haired girl let her teammate know. "So we can take her back to the village to interrogate her! Oto attacked us, Ino-buta!" Sakura explained herself yet again.

Both girls looked to be in no better shape than the Oto-nin they were 'escorting.' Sakura was walking with a visible limp and Ino was wincing each time she shifted weight on her right arm. Still, she continued on; Sakura was the current leader, after all.

At least the townspeople had done their part. For the first time since arriving in the town it was quiet. Not a beggar or street vender in sight.

"I guess Tazuna-san had more pull than I thought," Sakura mused aloud.

Ino had to agree. "The old man had to have his uses, I guess." Shifting the weight on her back, the blonde's natural instinct to complain kicked once again. "Where are we going, anyway? Do you even know, forehead girl?"

Sakura's teeth clenched at the insult to her intellect and her forehead. Despite the confusing nature of their 'friendship' Ino still managed to get on her nerves; it was a unique quality the Yamanaka had.

"Ino!" Sakura growled. She stopped in the street and spun on her heels, intent on launching a witty comeback. "You...you...what the fuck is that?"

The blonde blinked once...then again. "Wow, I've never heard you use language like that Sak-urk!"

Sakura painfully wrenched Ino's head around and almost caused her friend to topple over, passenger and all. Before she could start complaining again, however, she caught sight of what the other girl was staring at.

"...the fuck is that?" Ino parroted as she too saw the large column of smoke rising from the forest. It was the most massive thing either girl had ever seen.

Then, the wave hit them.

The pure, unrestrained malice that assaulted their senses was enough to cause both girls to crumble to the ground like dolls that had their strings cut. The rage was a tangible thing, clinging to their bodies like morning mist, filling their minds with cotton, and causing all of their muscles to spasm out of control.

"I-I-I-In-Ino..." Sakura fought with everything she had left to simply not lose consciousness. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Whatever the invisible force was, it made her want to run until her legs broke from the strain.

Ino was no better. For the first time in her life she felt completely powerless. She felt like a rabbit in the jaws of some wild animal as her body squirmed uncontrollably. Forcing her eyes to move under her own power, she could only shift her gaze over to the tree-line several hundred feet away. The large, furred, red leg that was towering over the trees only added to her distress.

Tayuya's body, which had rolled off of Ino's back upon the chakra wave hitting them, now started to react subconsciously. Her mind released adrenalin into her system to stir her conscious mind to some form of action. As it was, the Oto-nin could only part her eyes slightly.

Her captors were in much the same state as herself; laying on the ground seemingly unable to move. _'Serves the bitches right.'_ She managed to insult them even in the position she was in.

The more aware she became, the more motor control she regained. Forcing herself to move, she managed to get into a sitting position. Immediately, warning bells sounded in her mind as her near-depleted chakra system started picking things up; more precisely, the killing intent in the air.

Unlike the two Konoha kunoichi, however, Tayuya had been in the presence of the Snake Sannin for extended periods of time. As such, she was able to fend off the effects of the malevolent chakra to a certain extent. Still, she was forced to use her hands as a way to catch herself from simply collapsing to the ground.

"W-what...the f-fuck-k..." Tayuya gasped. Everything around her screamed for her death and her vision started to drown in a red haze. It was a surreal feeling; being completely covered in such evil chakra. This was unlike anything Orochimaru could do, she realized.

"_**FREEDOM!" **_

She shuttered when the voice exploded into her ears. Ino tried to say something, or perhaps just scream, but it came out as a sickly, gurgling noise; the extra amount of fear in her eyes conveyed more than any words could at the moment, however. Tayuya almost didn't want to follow Ino's eyes, fearing what she would see. Still, the lure was too great and soon the girl found herself staring at the towering visage of the most famous being in the world: the Kyuubi no Kitsune...

**_/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/_**

"What...the hell..." was the first thing Naruto chose to say as he slowly regained consciousness. He spit out a mouthful of water upon sitting up in whatever place he was in. It was pitch black and his eyes had trouble adjusting. Wherever the place was, it was huge. The room was at least the size of the main hall back in Oto.

A dim red glow from the walls provided a bit of light now that Naruto's eyes had adjusted a bit. He scanned the room until his eyes settled on one side. There was something odd about the wall there but he couldn't quite make it out.

"It could be a way out of here...wherever 'here' is," he decided.

Walking towards the odd wall, the boy had a growing sense of dread about his possible escape. Now actually at the 'wall,' Naruto could see that it wasn't a wall at all; it was a massive gate.

"Damn it, when I find Kakashi I'm going to rip his spleen out for putting me in this place," the boy promised.

The gate reached far up into the murky shadows obscuring the ceiling from his gaze. Naruto then noticed the state the bars themselves were in. The bottom part of the gate was bent outwards as if something very large tried to push itself out. A tiny piece of paper on the middle of the structure was lightly singed.

Naruto looked back to where he had come from to see if there was anything still alive with him. He couldn't see anything but the walls seemed to be glowing a brighter red than when he first woke up. Of course, this could just be due to his eyes adjusting. The boy disregarded the strange lighting conditions and focused his attention on the warped hole in the steel bars.

"Nothing lost, nothing gained, right?" he asked himself. Still, he hesitated to venture into the darkness. The stray thought of Tayuya fighting on without his promised support flicked on the edge of his mind. "No...I've got to get out of here," he stated with a deep breath.

No longer with any doubts, the white-haired boy took the first of many future steps into the large cage before him; thoughts of a certain redhead driving him onward...

------------------

And I think I'll call it quits right there for now. I know it seems like one cliffy after another with this story, but I have trouble ending a chapter any other way. Anyway, next chapter will be the end of the Wave Arc for Team Seven, Naruto, and Tayuya. What will happen? I don't even know! See you guys in a month or so!

_**---Jutsu List!---**_

_**Kiatsudangan (Pressure Bullet)**  
A condensed version of the Zankuuna. Shot from the mouth of Naruto's Kitsune-form, the bullet acts more as a localized area of high pressure that destabilizes upon hitting a solid object. _

_**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Skill)**  
A Jounin-level forbidden jutsu that splits the user's chakra into equal pieces to create solid clones. If a user with large chakra uses this skill, their clones can do small jutsu independently of the original body as the clones themselves have an inner chakra system._


End file.
